Demon of Mine

by Ranae Rose

  He didn’t answer. The silence that followed reminded Elsie of his offer, that he was waiting, and the almost suffocating sense of dream-like incredulity washed over her again. “Damon, I would be more than happy to marry you. But I’m just a housemaid. Your family, what would they—”

  He crushed his lips against hers, pulling her into a tight embrace. His tongue slipped into her mouth, entwining with hers. The force of his kiss was overwhelming, irresistible. She melted against him, pressing her breasts against his chest as his tongue stroked hers. Her nipples were hard, straining against her clothing and his. Her entire body ached for him, and she couldn’t help wrapping her arms around his waist and moaning into his mouth.

  When he ended the kiss, her inflamed lips stung and tingled pleasantly. “Don’t think about that,” he said. “No more questions. Not now.” He unwrapped his arms from around her and settled his hands above her elbows, his fingers denting her flesh as he held her there, looking directly into her eyes. “Just say ‘yes’, so I know you want what I’m about to do to you.”

  She couldn’t have stopped her answer from coming to her lips any more than she could have stopped the moon from glowing in the sky. “Yes.”

  He pressed his mouth to hers again, sliding his tongue past her lips and teeth. She returned his embrace as he wrapped his arms around her, and almost before she realized what was happening, they were on the ground.

  He lay on top of her, kissing her and running one hand through her hair. Her scalp prickled where he touched her, causing her flesh to pebble and her nipples to tighten. As if he knew what she was feeling, he removed his hand from her tresses and cupped one of her breasts instead. Heat surged through her as he kneaded it gently, and she arched her back against the ground, filling his cupped palm and grinding her hips against his. Her body seemed to be coming alive, unable to resist his touch. The longing she’d been enduring since she’d heard him call her name in his bedroom flooded through her, so strong she thought she might burst. Only the fact that she knew it was finally about to be fulfilled made it bearable. Her anticipation was so heated she almost expected it to singe her clothing from her body, reducing them to ashes. She’d never felt quite this way before, not even with Lord Wilkes.

  Even through their clothing, she could feel the hard rod of flesh that strained the front of his pantaloons. He flexed his hips, pressing it against her belly as he slipped his fingers beneath the neckline of her dress and pulled it down, exposing a creamy expanse of cleavage. He stroked the curve of one mound and tucked a thumb inside, trailing it over the stiff peak of her nipple. She moaned, and the sound of tearing fabric rent the air as he gripped the modest neckline and tore it neatly, baring her breasts.

  A shiver of delight ran down her spine as she peered down at him, where he was bowing his head over the twin peaks as he caressed them with one hand, massaging her tingling flesh with just a hint of roughness. Her core tightened as he slowly lowered his head, closing his mouth around one nipple.

  She gasped and buried a hand in his hair, closing it in a fist around a handful of dark locks. She held him there, arching her back against the ground again. A hint of a groan rose up from his chest as he bit her nipple lightly and then teased it with his tongue, finally pulling it into his mouth again and sucking so that she felt the tips of his fangs press against her skin, denting but not piercing her flesh. As if he’d just realized how close his teeth were to penetrating her, he raised his head. “I’m not hurting you, am I?”

  “No,” she moaned, tightening her grip on his hair and pulling him back to her chest. “Don’t stop.”

  He seemed more than willing to comply, lowering his mouth to her breasts again with a sigh that made Elsie burn with renewed longing. He favored the other one this time, giving its stiff peak the same rough-and-gentle treatment, sucking it until Elsie thought the dampness creeping from between her thighs would soak through her skirts to the ground below. Aching for more, she reached below and pressed a hand between their hips, touching his erection.

  He groaned as she gripped his cock, shifting his hips reflexively, grinding it against the palm of her hand. He lifted his head from her chest, his breath coming in deep gasps, streaming over her damp nipples. Taking this as encouragement, she began to undo the buttons of his front-fall, anxious to feel his stiffness skin-to-skin.

  When the last button finally came free, he slid into her hand, a considerable length of perfect smoothness. She traced the rounded head of his cock, sweeping her fingers over it to grip the shaft, sliding down until hair tickled the side of her palm.

  “Elsie…” He cupped her breast and squeezed, sighing her name as he sought her mouth with his.

  She met his kiss readily, her mind swimming with the memories he’d conjured when he’d said her name. She saw him in vivid detail, sprawled on his bed with his cock in his hand, stroking it hard as he’d called for her, not knowing that she’d been in the very same room, watching. Now she moved her hand in imitation of how he’d pleasured himself them, gripping him harder than she would have otherwise dared and shoving her hand from tip to root in one strong stroke.

  His groan was almost a growl, and his entire body tensed against hers. She was reminded of when he’d came in his bed, of how his seed had gleamed in the firelight as it had spilled from the thick tip of his cock. Her channel tightened, her need suddenly so strong it almost hurt. Still gripping him tightly, she brought her fist back up the length of his erection and forced it back down again.

  He pulled his mouth from hers, still groaning. She matched his moan as he reached below and lifted her skirts, sliding them smoothly up over her legs. Her thighs trembled when his fingers brushed them, baring her from the hips down. A flush heated her face as his gaze traveled below, studying the tender flesh that awaited him, slick with her arousal.

  Pleasure shot up through her belly when he lowered a hand between her thighs, his fingers drifting across her damp folds to find the swollen nub above. She shuddered as he pressed his thumb against it and began a circular massage, stroking the curls above with his fingertips. Her fingers were still wrapped around his cock, though she’d stopped stroking him. She didn’t have the presence of mind to move her hand, not when her brain and body were quickly turning to jelly, giving themselves over to pure erotic sensation.

  His voice drifted to her through the haze of pleasure, low and rough. “Tell me if I hurt you.”

  She shook her head, letting the cool grass touch her cheek for an instant. His touch felt so good – far better than anything she’d ever known. It was impossible to imagine that it could bring her pain.

  “I don’t want that to happen,” he continued. “I want this to feel so good for you that the transformation won’t hurt at all.”

  She bit her lip as a telltale spasm tightened her core and wracked her womb, a precursor to the climax that would come any second now. She’d almost forgotten about the transformation altogether, lost as she was in the ecstasy his mouth and hands brought. Now that she recalled the true purpose of their joining, she couldn’t bring herself to be afraid. She could endure anything, if he just continued to touch her.

  “Do you like this?” He applied more pressure against her turgid nub, settling into a deep, almost biting massage – as if she needed reminding of what he was referring to.

  She groaned and arched her hips in response, shutting her eyes against the blurry night as waves of pleasure rolled through her, causing her core to clench arrhythmically, wringing every last bit of sensation out of her. He moved his fingertips faster, extending her ecstasy until she panted, begging him to stop.

  When her mind cleared she realized that he was moaning too, and had closed his hand around hers, guiding her. She complied, stroking him hard and taking extra enjoyment in doing so because he joined her, gripping her hand with surprising strength that conveyed his need. “Now,” she said, stopping with her hand wrapped around the bottom of his shaft. “Now, please.”

  He settled between he
r thighs, shuddering slightly as she removed her hand. He kept his there, ready to guide his cock inside her. Seeing it sent a thrill through Elsie, and she knew that the sight of his fingers wrapped around his thick shaft always would. After all, she’d seen him so the first time she’d heard him groan her name; the first time she’d realized that he might harbor more for her than a faint awareness of her existence. The image was burned into her mind, irrepressibly erotic and dangerously tempting. “Take me,” she breathed. “I can’t bear waiting any longer.”

  He guided his cock to her cleft, pressing its rounded tip to her folds. A jolt of anticipatory pleasure shot through her, tightening her core just as he entered, sheathing himself with one strong stroke.

  She gasped while he did the same, pausing with his cock buried to the root inside her. “Elsie…” He groaned, pulling back and sliding inside her again, filling her completely. She moaned as her body stretched to accommodate him, not used to his considerable presence. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him close and pressed her mouth against his, desperate to show him how he made her feel.

  Their tongues entwined in a rough imitation of lovemaking, grinding and sliding together, tasting as much of the other as they possibly could. She felt her lips begin to swell against his, becoming as inflamed as the rest of her. A particularly deep stroke jarred their mouths apart as they both gasped and she tightened her hold around his neck. Her core was clenching again, and his cock was there this time, a long-awaited firmness against her tightening flesh. She would peak again soon. Gasping for breath, she met Damon’s eyes. He was close enough that she could see them in a close semblance of clarity. His pupils were enormous, their blackness swallowing the dark irises beneath his hooded lids. “Damon…”

  It felt so good to say his name as she’d always longed to – gasping it from beneath him as he drove his cock into her, making her moan it again. He squeezed his eyes shut as she repeated it, forcing years of longing into every syllable. She kept her eyes open, watching his beautiful face until something flared white in the corner of her vision.

  She turned her head and her mouth dropped open in involuntary horror. Peeking from behind one of the not-so-distant rose bushes was a robed figure. It could have been anyone, as far as Elsie’s blurred vision was concerned, had it not been for the long, loose hair that gleamed brilliantly red in the moonlight.

  Jenny. She had woken to find Elsie missing and come looking for her. No doubt she’d gotten much more of an eyeful than she’d bargained for. Elsie was more aware than ever that her gown was split nearly to her navel and that her legs were bare and glowingly white, parted by Damon’s thrusting hips. He was taking her in long, deliciously deep strokes, grunting either with the effort, pleasure or perhaps both. Elsie tried to suppress the moan of delight that came to her lips as he touched a place inside her that made her want to squirm, but was unable.

  Jenny whirled and ran, hurrying toward the house.

  “Elsie,” Damon breathed, “is something wrong?”

  She turned back to face him and was met by his dark, half-lidded gaze. “No.” She brushed a kiss against his jaw, touching the tip of her tongue briefly to his skin. “I’m just…” She paused as her channel contracted around his cock. “I’m going to come again.”

  He bowed his head and groaned, his lips brushing her ear. “I’ve waited far too long. I can’t bear it any longer,” he breathed, his voice strained.

  She thought he meant that he was about to reach his climax, but his actions contradicted the idea. Pressing his mouth firmly against the arch of her neck, he bit down, slowly sinking his fangs into her flesh while maintaining his steady rhythm below. He angled his hips, causing his cock to thrust against a mind-blowingly sensitive spot, driving the pain of being bitten from her mind. She writhed as she came, but he held her anchored against the earth with his hips and his mouth, groaning against her neck. Her core shrunk around his cock, trying to milk his seed out of him, but he would not be deterred. He thrust steadily through her climax, his mouth still pressed firmly against her neck.

  Elsie lay gasping when her climax faded, feeling her sensitive flesh contract a couple last times around Damon’s erection. Her blood was fleeing her veins, rushing into Damon’s mouth as he drank it, making sounds of ecstasy. Her head swam with dizzying sensations, and her blurred vision seemed to worsen. A few stars winked at her from above, and then all went dark.

  Chapter 9

  Elsie opened her eyes to absolute darkness and the realization that she had gone blind. Stifling the scream that tried to rise up out of her, she settled for a moan of despair.

  “Is everything all right, love?” A voice sounded from somewhere surprisingly close, as velvety as the darkness.

  “Damon.” The pleasure that flared in her was tinged with anxious fear. “Something’s gone wrong. I can’t see.”

  A whisper-soft sound was followed quickly by a burst of yellow light. Elsie blinked and was surprised by the sight of Damon, bathed in lamplight. “Oh.” A part of her wanted to look aside sheepishly, but she couldn’t tear her gaze from his face. “I thought I’d gone blind.”

  “But you can see perfectly now, can’t you?”

  She nodded, then froze when realization gripped her. She could see. Perfectly. How long had it been since she’d seen his face so clearly? He was even more beautiful than she remembered – perfectly, darkly handsome in every way. The memory of the night before flooded back to her; the kissing, the thrusting, the bite… “Oh, Damon. You called me ‘love’.” It wasn’t what she’d meant to say, and worse, her voice cracked as she spoke, making her aware of the tears that had sprung to the corners of her eyes.

  He stepped toward the bed where she lay, reaching for her. She tossed back the covers and flung her feet over the edge, throwing her arms around his neck and clinging to him, crying and feeling like a fool for it.

  He gripped her arms gently and looked down at her. “You’re not in pain, are you?”

  “No,” she said, trying to rein in her sobs.

  She expected more questions, but he simply pulled her against his chest and held her, letting her dampen the front of his shirt with tears. After a few moments, her sobs finally dried up, leaving her feeling more than a little ridiculous. “I’m sorry. I don’t usually…”

  “It’s all right. I cried when I was first changed, too.”

  “You did?”

  A wry smile curved one corner of his mouth. Elsie was struck anew by how wonderful it was to be able to see it, to read the nuances of his expressions. “Yes, but only when no one was around to see or hear. I was a sixteen year old boy, after all – I still had my pride.”

  She took a deep breath, swallowing one last urge to cry. “I’m really changed then? I’m like you now?” She pulled her arms from around Damon and gingerly felt her face, as if it would provide some sort of proof.

  “Yes,” he said, just as she pressed her fingers to the tips of her canine teeth. They were significantly longer and sharper than before – not just teeth, but fangs.

  The enormity of her transformation threatened to overwhelm her in a way the suggestion, or even the promise of it beforehand hadn’t. She was changed. Her illness was gone. She would never embarrass herself by falling to the floor, shaking, again. No more smashing the house’s best china, and no more being confined to a bed and bled. And then, there was the fact that she was a vampire – a creature of legend. It struck her how little she knew about her new nature, and with the realization came a wave of longing, clarifying one thing for sure – she was thirsty.

  She raised a hand to her throat, and Damon’s gaze followed. “You’re thirsty.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Very.”

  “Don’t worry. I am prepared.” He lifted the lantern and illuminated a small table that stood several feet from the bedside, laden with a tea tray.

  A curious aroma teased her nostrils as he poured, rich and sweet. When he handed her the full cup, she peered down and nearly d
ropped it. “This is blood!” A little bit of the stuff sloshed over the side, staining the delicate china a vivid red.

  He cupped her hand in his, steadying it. “What did you expect?”

  She stared at the teacup’s dark, opaque contents. What had she expected? Guilt began to creep over her. Her thoughtlessness stood in stark contrast to Damon’s careful consideration. He’d waited by her bedside with exactly what she needed and disguised it as tea so that she could feel as ordinary as possible while drinking.

  “I know it’s unpleasant,” he said, indicating the tray with an offhand gesture. “I’ve done my best to make it easy for you.”

  “I know,” she said quickly. “I mean, I can see that. Thank you.”

  At a loss for what else to do, she settled for the obvious. Slowly raising the cup to her mouth, a stomach-turning thought occurred to her. “This blood…”

  “Livestock,” he said gently. “It came from a cow, the same as you might have had for dinner before.” A hint of bitterness entered his voice. “I would never defile you with an innocent person’s blood.”

  She lifted the cup and pressed the rim to her lips.

  The blood flowed over her tongue, rich and faintly sweet, with metallic undertones that tasted strangely delicious. She emptied the cup, realizing for the first time how truly tiny it was.

  “Would you like more?” Damon took it from her hands and started refilling it before she could reply.

  She drank until the teapot was empty, and somewhere between the second and third cup, the blood lost its repugnancy altogether. “What now?” she said when she’d finished, lowering her red-stained cup onto the tray. The drink had left her feeling energized, and memories of the night before flooded back to her in breath-taking clarity as the fog of sleep lifted from her mind. Simply looking at Damon caused her body to warm, an effect of combined memory and anticipation.