by Kate Sheperd
Lilith had to take some time to consider all of this, but she eventually reached the conclusion that she should agree to Draci's request. If this was something mean spirited and awful, she could run away then. If it was genuine, then there was no way she would ever attain anything as wonderful as this opportunity again.
"I've decided to accept this offer," Lilith said, and Draci smiled and leaned over to kiss her, though she pushed him away. He looked at her with his bright purple eyes, which practically screamed the question, "Why?!"
"First, you have to propose to me. It's a human thing," Lilith replied, giggling as she saw the confusion in Draci's eyes. "Get down on one knee, offer me a ring, and ask me to be your wife. To prove you really care."
"That is an odd way to prove anything," Draci replied, pouting and stuffing his face. Still, once he was finished with his food, he stood and bowed. "If you'll excuse me, m’lady, I shall return at the earliest convenience. However, first," Draci said, getting a piece of string by tearing off a loose thread in the linen garment that Lilith was still wearing from Slorn. "Which finger is the ring supposed to go on?"
Lilith pointed to her wedding ring finger, and Draci proceeded to measure it with the string before leaving in a hurry.
Less than an hour later, Draci was back with a gorgeous ring made of a deep violet stone that was unlike anything Lilith had ever seen before, but she smiled when Draci got down on his knee and proposed. Without hesitation, she said yes.
Chapter Five
The royal wedding was quite the success, though it took three months to plan. Still, the part Lilith was looking forward to was the honeymoon. After the celebration, she excitedly followed Draci back to their bedroom, jumping on the bed as she waited for her now husband to take her virginity.
Draci was no less excited by the prospect, and followed his wife to their bed. The traditional royal dress was a pain in his eyes at this point, but he took his time to undo all the buttons, ribbons, zippers, and clasps so he didn't damage the dress. After all, he knew how much his bride loved it, it being undoubtedly the most intricate and expensive thing she had ever owned.
Once Draci had everything undone, he helped Lilith out of the godforsaken thing, and hastily began stripping off his own restrictive formalwear.
"Hold on," Lilith said, gently taking his hands in hers, before he could remove any clothing. He was so much bigger than she was that his hands were nearly twice the size of her little paws, but he let her stop him, despite his haste. Then he followed her lead as she gently pushed him down to the mattress. His big purple eyes stared at her with a mix of curiosity and impatience, but Lilith merely responded with a giggle.
"Be good. It's my first time," Lilith said, and Draci responded with a huff. He wanted to get on with it. He'd waited three months for this, and that seemed to him to be patient enough, but he didn't voice those complaints.
"Thank you, [S52]honey," Lilith said softly, running her fingers down his broad, lean chest and down to his waist, where her fingers teasingly tantalized every spot down there besides the one he wanted most.
At least he wasn't denied for too long, as his bride began to straddle him, wearing nothing but a pristine white bra, thong, garter belt, and sheer white stockings. She could feel him shiver in anticipation under her, but she didn't rush herself as she began removing his clothing. First was the jacket, which he had unbuttoned already. Then she began removing his waistcoat, undoing the buttons with her teeth, and gently gyrating her hips while she did so.
As she continued this, she felt Draci start to get hard, but she didn't move on to the next part just yet. Instead she continued undoing every button on the waistcoat, then tossing that off to the side as well. When she paused to do this, she caught Draci's eyes, which were glazed over with longing and lust, but love was there too.
"Please, Lil," he whispered.
"We'll get there in good time, my love," Lilith replied with a smile, and continued to unbutton every button on his dress shirt, a total of about fifteen buttons, using nothing but her teeth, and tantalizing his shaft through the multiple layers of cloth all the while.
Once she got his shirt off, she was soaking wet, and Draci was rock hard. A good way to start, for sure.
"Lil, now?" Draci asked, almost breathless from the moans he'd been letting escape his lips, ever so softly.
"Yes," Lilith replied, throwing the shirt off to the side and then undoing Draci's pants and taking his boxers down. He was rather large, which only made sense proportionately, but it did make Lilith worry how everything was going to fit.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure you're ready before I do anything," Draci promised, as if reading Lilith's mind. She looked up at her new husband innocently, but she had faith in him. So, she let him take the reins, becoming pliant in his arms as he led her to lie down. He quite liked having her in her bra and garter belt, so he simply took the thong and ripped it, then pushed it out of his way, as easy as if it were wet paper.
That done, he began to eagerly lick at the lips of her entrance, using his fingers to stimulate her clit as he pushed his tongue inside of her, and let his wet muscle explore her tight pussy. He felt like a kid in the candy store, so he kept going while Lilith began screaming in ecstasy the feeling.
"A-ah, Dr…Draci! Draci, I feel weird…my stomach…It feels…ah!" Lilith screamed out as she experienced her first orgasm. Still, Draci didn't let that stop him, as he pushed his fingers inside and began pumping them, Lilith moaning all the while, playing with her own nipples to increase the pleasure. As soon as Draci felt that he could, he pushed himself inside of her, just going a little bit at a time, rubbing her clit all the while until they both came.
Once he finished inside of her, he pulled out and flopped down on the bed, giving her a kiss and holding her close to him.
"Wanna go again?"
Lilith looked at him after she took a minute to catch her breath, scrutinizing whether or not he was serious. Silly her. Draci was always serious.
"Five minutes. Give me five minutes," she replied, breathing heavily.
Blood of the Queen
Chapter One
In the more glamorous times of history, empires seem to always collapse because of one fatal and grand strike at the heart of it all. However, in Aurora's experience, she saw more empires fall thanks to steady decline and slow deterioration. The general peasantry seemed not to notice the declining state of the Romanian empire at this stage. To the nobles and the aristocrats, the decline was all too clear.
No one thing was responsible for this decline, but the fact of Gothic invasions from the west being a pestilence to her country, the crops failing for two consecutive years, and a withdrawal of support from the Roman Catholics in the country, among other things, fed into the deterioration of Romania's glory. Perhaps their architecture and art was above the bar for standard, but not all the art in the world would save them from falling into a bloody war with German tribes and crumbling.
Even if it weren't for the German barrage, Aurora's power on the empire was slipping. She refused to cooperate with the Huns--a long standing tradition of her people. Though the Great Khan did not seem to be too offended by this choice, the aristocracy were outraged by the decision. Breaking ties with the violent and backstabbing group of the Huns seemed to Aurora to be a no brainer, yet it was a political suicide of sorts.
The grip that Aurora now held on the throne was more tenuous than ever, both from events in which she authored, and events which were relics of past generations and of current world turmoil. Being the first queen to rule of Romania in many generations was a tough enough hurdle for Aurora to overcome, but scarcely did she establish her dominance and independence did all the trouble which threatened to take away her throne emerge.
This was a matter of pride to Aurora now, more than it was anything else. She felt as though she belonged on the throne, and that she was the best to guide her people through the hardship that they were facing. Therefore, she could not pos
sibly give up the crown to some other upstart who was cocky enough to think all the problems of Romania could be solved simply. No, all those who were eligible to take Aurora's place on the throne, should she decide it was time to step down, were young and foolhardy.
Granted, Aurora was a young queen herself. She was seventeen when she took the throne, and twenty-five now, as the end of her nation seemed to be looming over the horizon. If she did lose Romania, what would people think? Would they ascribe the loss as incompetence by the leader? Would she be seen as weak simply because she was a woman? Or would history view her kindly, and assume that it was mostly the jumbled mess left behind by some old dead guys that were in the ground before they had to deal with the trouble that they had wrought?
Aurora simply sighed as her thoughts turned down that avenue. She knew full well what the answer to her question was. She would be labeled as an incompetent failure, regardless of the circumstance. Without even taking her gender into account, the historians never favored the last ruler of a nation, who ultimately oversaw its ruin. Give these same historians the chance to ridicule the leader for being a "weak" woman, and they would have a hayday with the opportunity.
Granted, in dire times such as these, perhaps it was best to put vanity to the side in place of other concerns. Yet all Aurora could do was worry these days, whether upon herself or matters of the country.
"Dear God, but this situation is hopeless," she muttered to herself while sitting at her vanity and looking at her reflection.
"If you take that attitude, then indeed it is, Madam," Dracule, Aurora's butler, said calmly. Aurora nearly jumped out of her seat.
"Dracule!" she said in surprise, turning to look at him. He had a habit of entering rooms as silently as a ghost, and lingering like one, too. Though this propensity was a bit odd, Aurora usually liked how interesting he could make things a bit more interesting. Needless to say, this time around she was not as pleased with his antics.
"Yes, Madam," he replied, a ghost of a smile sneaking onto his pale lips.
"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Aurora demanded.
"I have indeed, and I understand it in theory," Dracule replied, but when he saw that Aurora's grimace did not fade while he spoke, he bowed slightly. "My apologies for having upset you, Madam. I fancy myself a joker without the idiotic get up, though perhaps I should keep my fancies confined to my own head," Dracule said.
Aurora's tension relaxed upon hearing that. "No, no. I require none of your apologies. I'm just tense," Aurora replied. Dracule was her favorite servant to be sure. If he wasn't, he wouldn't attempt having such a loose tongue when around the queen. Yet, even he had his limits of speech around her.
"I understand, Madam. There is great reason to be. Things are difficult now, but you are as capable a leader as I've ever seen," Dracule said.
"That's not too impressive, considering you've only seen two, Dracule," Aurora replied. Dracule knew Aurora, of course, and also had worked under her father. But he was but ten years older than Aurora, so he saw no other rulers of Romania.
"Well, your father was well liked, and I'm telling you that you're as good as he was. Isn't that something to ease your troubled mind?" Dracule asked.
"My father wasn't facing the Germanic invasion, or a drought. I wish I knew what I was doing so differently," Aurora said.
"Perhaps you're not paying proper respects to the rain god. When you dance, is your ceremony clockwise, or counter clockwise?"
"Oh, haha," Aurora replied, not too amused by Dracule's sarcasm. "If only this could be resolved through something that simple,"Aurora said with a sigh.
"Complicated situations require complicated solutions. But you know this well, Madam," Dracule said. He dropped his air of sarcastic joking for a moment to talk more seriously with his mistress, much to her relief.
"I know this well, Dracule. But this knowledge doesn't make the burden any less of a cross to bear," Aurora sighed.
"I think it's best for you to spend some time thinking rather than being pestered by me, Madam," Dracule said, then bowed. "I'll see myself out."
"Very well," Aurora said, and remained at her seat until she heard the door click, signifying that Dracule had left.
Once he was gone, she sat and stared at her reflection for a while. She had fine features, usually something treasured on an aristocratic woman. Yet, these soft and delicate features that she possessed just furthered everyone's opinion that she was weak even further. She wished she had a strong jaw, a bigger nose, a shorter brow. But no, she was a model for the virgin Madonna, if only she was holding a haloed baby.
These thoughts just made Aurora sigh, and she stood up, going over to the bed and burrowing under the covers. Soon, a deep sleep overtook her. For a little while at least, she could cease to worry about her wondering and self deprecating thoughts and just focus on resting her tired body.
In the darkness of her mind while she rested, the image of Dracule came before her consciousness. She was dreaming, but what an odd dream it was. In the blank and darkness of her sleeping psyche, she stood in a seemingly endless voice with Dracule standing before her. Before she could ask him what the meaning of this whole thing was, he spoke.
"What would you do to protect your people?" Dracule asked, his voice echoing throughout the realm of her mind.
"I would do anything," Aurora replied without hesitation.
"Anything? Even sacrifice yourself?" Dracule asked, keeping all his seriousness in tact.
Aurora hesitated slightly, but then nodded. "Yes. Even sacrifice myself," she replied resolutely.
"What if it was only a chance of saving your people? Would you do it then?" Dracule asked.
At this, Aurora was thrown for a loop. Would she sacrifice herself for merely a chance at saving her people? That was a harder question, because a mere gamble was a dangerous thing to put her life on the line for. Still, considering without some help, she and Romania were both doomed, she did nod again.
"Yes, I would," Aurora replied, obviously hesitant, but the risk was still worth it.
"It's a shame you rule the country now, Aurora. Or rather, it's a shame and a blessing. To see us out of these hard times, we need a ruler willing to be as selfless as you are. But at the same time, if you ruled during a prosperous time, I can only imagine what good you would be able to do for us," Dracule said with a smile.
"What is the meaning of this, Dracule?" Aurora demanded. Typically she enjoyed Dracule's digressions, but now was not the time. He seemed on the cusp of revealing something of great import.
"If you're serious about this, meet me in the shrine of your predecessors," Dracule replied, and his form gradually began to fade.
Aurora stared, not quite knowing how to react to her butler's disappearing act. Still, she had to ask other question, more pertinent questions. "But wait, don't go yet. What gamble would you have me do? And when should I meet you?" Aurora asked.
"You'll know when the time is right, Madam," Dracule said with a chuckle as his form finally disappeared in its entirety.
Aurora just tried to reach out where she saw that Dracule had vanished, all to no avail.
In what felt like an instant, Aurora found herself awake, sitting up and heaving for breath. That was perhaps the strangest dream that she had ever had. Certainly that dream was just her desperation playing tricks on her mind? Yes, that had to be it.
So, Aurora convinced herself of that and went about her daily duties for a few days, until she felt this strange compulsion to go to the Shrine of Rulers, where all her predecessors had their mark on the country and on the castle recorded in plaques and busts of their likeness carved into the wall.
When the urge first overtook Aurora, she wasn't even considering the dream as the reason that she was heading where she was heading. Instead, she thought that perhaps she would find clues on how to handle the dire situation from past leaders who saw the country through its struggles.
As she browsed past the powerful visages
of former rulers of Romania, she traced her fingers subconsciously over her own face, gently running them along her high cheekbone down to her chin. Was she like these men, or was she the odd one out? When other rulers and diplomats walked down this hall, would they stop at Aurora's bust and puzzle over her, wonder if she was included as a mistake, and move on? Or would the castle even still be standing after her reign.
"Madam," Dracule said, standing at the far end of the hallway, dusting off the bust of her late father.
Aurora jumped and went wide eyed for a moment. "Dracule! You nearly scared me to death!"
"I take it you forgot your promise to meet me here, then?" Dracule asked, glancing over at the queen. In that moment, memories of the dream rushed back to Aurora, and she just stared at him dumbstruck.
"You mean--from the dream?" Aurora asked.
"If you wish to call it that, yes," he replied flatly.
"Well, what else would it be called?" Aurora asked, confused. She never thought she'd be asking someone to explain her own dreams to her, but the circumstances were strange all around.
"I would call it a chat between the two of us," Dracule replied calmly.
"A chat? A chat while I was dreaming? A chat while I was asleep? I'm afraid I never thought of a chat being under those kinds of circumstances!" Aurora replied, frowning at her eccentric butler. "How could you refer to something like that so casually?"
"Perhaps your paranormal is just another man's normal, Madam," Dracule replied, and ceased dusting the bust of her late father.
Aurora didn't know whether or not Dracule was making fun of her, but honestly it seemed inconceivable that he wasn't. After all, he seemed to be implying that she was sheltered, when nothing could be further from the truth! Despite her being young, she had become as cultured as anyone could at her age. "I don't appreciate you condescending, Dracule," she said, a dangerous edge to her voice.