The vampire already had her in his clutches. He had one arm wrapped around Katie’s shoulder and neck, in an embrace that would have looked almost intimate if not for the expression on Katie’s face. Babish was rubbing one of his fingers along the nape of her neck, gently stroking the spot that Jack had so often plunged his own fangs into.
He took another step forward, and the dark-skinned vampire glanced up at him. He flashed a smile, running his tongue across his oversized fangs like a doctor preparing a needle for insertion.
“She is your thrall, is she not?” called Babish. “She smells good. Like a blood mage.”
“Don’t… touch her,” said Jack, forcing the words out. “Don’t you fucking dare!”
Babish leaned his face in, sniffing Katie’s hair. Jack saw a flash of disgust in her expression, and she slammed her elbow back into his ribs. Babish didn’t even react, as though the blow had been a toddler’s slap.
“Would you like to discover how my fangs feel in your neck?” whispered Babish. “You might like it. It would give you a new perspective. A better perspective.”
Jack gritted his teeth, feeling his anger struggling to rally his body against the symptoms of the poison. He took a slow breath and stood upright fully, only to immediately break out into a fit of coughs. Each one felt like a burst of fire through his throat and lungs. Babish laughed.
“You can barely even stand,” he said. “What’s the matter? Has it been so long since you’ve fed on this one? So be it. Her blood will taste that much sweeter.”
Katie screamed as Babish bared his fangs and moved his mouth into position. Jack let out a snarl, throwing his hands forward and channeling his blood essence. He might not be able to attack Babish and overwhelm him physically, but he still had his magic.
Spectral Hand tendrils burst forth from each of Jack’s palms, spiraling toward Babish like strands of windblown silk. The vampire hesitated, pulling Katie to stand more in front of him, like a human shield. Jack’s tendrils were fully within his control, and it was easy to maneuver them around her and toward his targets: Babish’s face and eyes.
The vampire screamed. Only one of Jack’s tendrils had struck true, but from the way Babish was clasping at his eye socket, the damage had been done. Babish threw Katie aside, and she struck the wall at an odd angle before collapsing to the cold stone floor.
“You…!” screamed Babish. “I will break you! Then I’ll make you watch what I do to your thrall.”
He sprang forward, flying through the air toward Jack, who made a feeble attempt at trying to strike at him a second time with his tendrils. Jack realized an instant too late that the smarter move would have been to conjure his Spectral Sword, but Babish was already inside its effective reach.
Babish tackled Jack, which sent pain reverberating through every inch of his body as the effects of the poison echoed in response. He felt his head hit the stone as the two of them fell to the ground, and then Babish’s fist collided with his cheek.
It was all Jack could do to cover his face and head with his arms as the blows rained down. It felt like a schoolyard fight, except Babish hit harder than any child or student. Harder than any human could. Jack’s body was durable, but he could already taste his own blood trickling into his mouth from a fresh cut on his lip.
Babish worked him over, punching not just his head but his stomach and legs. Babish even tried to slam a knee into his groin, though he managed to roll to keep the blow from striking true. Jack felt his consciousness slipping as Babish got another blow off, bouncing his skull back against the hard stone.
The fight was a foregone conclusion. He was going to lose, and Babish would follow through with his earlier promise.
Then, quite suddenly, Babish was knocked to the side. A figure in a hooded cloak had intervened for an instant, kicking the vampire across the face before disappearing further down the hall. Jack seized the opportunity more through reflex than intention, conjuring his Spectral Sword and slamming it forward.
“Ugh…” Babish let out a pained gasp as the blade impaled him through the stomach. Jack gave the sword a single twist to the side, then let it dematerialize.
“Fight’s over,” said Jack, in a rasping voice. “I won’t kill you. I’m merciful.”
“You…” Babish grimaced, holding his hands over the gash in his stomach. It had already started to heal, and the vampire flashed a resolute, though obviously pained, smile. “You can’t kill me, you mean. Not if you want this alliance.”
The dark-skinned vampire let out a weak laugh. Jack glared at him, but Katie had recovered enough to get to her feet, and she was already helping him back toward their room.
“Are you okay?” Jack asked, as soon as they were around the corner.
“I’ve been better,” said Katie. “What about you?”
“Same,” said Jack.
Katie pulled down on his arm, taking a little more of his weight onto her shoulder. Jack could feel blood matting in his hair from where Babish had repeatedly smashed his head into the stone. It was hard to tell where the pain from that injury stopped and the headache from his poisoning began.
They opened the door to their room, and Katie started to carry him back inside, before freezing in place. Someone was waiting for them. The same someone who’d intervened during the fight.
“What are you doing here?” muttered Jack.
Pierce pulled back the hood of his cloak, flashing a flat smile as he took them both in.
“Saving your life, apparently,” he said.
Katie let go of Jack and furrowed her brow.
“How did you even make it inside?” asked Katie. “It’s not safe here! Are you insane?”
“I stole the cloak of one of the thralls while they were shopping for food in town,” said Pierce. “The vampires won’t be able to smell the difference. It wasn’t that hard to make it inside, with my magic and the fact that all of their attention is currently focused on their new potential allies.”
“A better question is why you snuck in here,” said Jack. “We have phones. You could have called us easily enough.”
“I needed to make sure that we were still on the same page,” said Pierce. “With my own eyes. Judging just from that little hallway scuffle, I’m not so sure.”
Jack scowled at Pierce. He tried to put as much strength into the expression as he had left.
“That fight wasn’t exactly my choice,” he said. “I couldn’t leave Katie in that monster’s clutches.”
“You’re supposed to be mingling,” said Pierce. “We need more information about where the artifact might be and how to get to it. I can’t move freely around the castle as easily as you two can or interact with anyone. You should be making friends, not fighting.”
“And who says I’m not?” Jack shrugged. “I spent most of tonight’s dinner at a table with Volandar’s daughter. At the very least, she seems to have taken an interest in me. Enough to tell me that she’s a Mithridian vampire, even.”
Pierce flinched visibly at the last few words.
“A Mithridian vampire?” Pierce shook his head. “Here? You’re sure?”
“Positive,” said Jack. “Why?”
Pierce swore and brought a hand to his forehead.
“What?” asked Katie. “What is it?”
“Mithridian vampires are… unpredictable,” said Pierce. “They’re insanely smart, or I guess it would be more accurate to say insane and smart. And they aren’t as sensitive to the sunlight as Valerians.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad,” said Jack.
“There’s more,” said Pierce. “Mithridian vampires are descended from Mithridates the Great, the ancient King of Pontus. He was a shadowy figure, good at killing and adept at intrigue, and he passed that lineage down to all of the vampires of his line.”
“I can handle her,” said Jack.
“Can you?” asked Pierce. “If Aquinian vampires are blood mages, and Valerian vampires are more traditional warriors, then the Mi
thridians are the rogues and assassins. You’re more likely to be stabbed in the back when you aren’t looking, or poisoned, than you are to see an attack from her coming.”
Jack froze at the implication of his words. He looked over at Katie, who seemed equally concerned.
“My point is, the two of you need to be careful,” said Pierce. “Stop making enemies and try to fit in. This is a game that rewards the patient, not the—”
The door handle jiggled. Pierce immediately cut off and threw himself toward the far wall, pressing his back into the corner that the door opened into. It effectively hid him from view as Mira strode into Jack’s room, frowning and glancing him over.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “That look on your face… and the color of your cheeks. What’s happened?”
Jack hesitated, trying not to glance in Pierce’s direction. Pierce deftly slipped out from behind the door and out of the room behind Mira’s back, moving with footsteps so quiet that Jack couldn’t help but be impressed.
“I was poisoned,” said Jack. “I barely made it back to my room, and I only survived because of Katie’s help.”
Mira’s eyes went wide, and she brought a hand to her mouth. Jack saw her slowly shake her head, and then a cold scowl came across her face.
“Damn it,” she said. “I should have expected this to be more complicated than it initially seemed. This… is not good, Jack. This will make things difficult.”
“You don’t have to tell me that,” said Jack. He could still feel the effects of the poison on his body, the burning on the inside of his throat and the sapping of his energy.
“What could this mean?” whispered Mira. “Volandar would not make a move like this. He’s no fool. He would know that if anything happened to you, I would never agree to an alliance with him.”
“What about his daughter?” asked Jack. “Vyara. She is a Mithridian vampire.”
“It’s possible,” said Mira. “But what motive could she possibly have?”
Jack shrugged. Given the vibe he’d gotten from her earlier, he wasn’t entirely sure that she needed a reason beyond her own simple curiosity.
“You poor thing…” Mira sat down next to Jack on the bed and pulled him halfway into an embrace. He was surprised by how nice her body felt against his.
“Anyway,” he said. “What about you? Did you manage to learn anything from Volandar about my father?”
Mira gave him a small squeeze.
“He evaded my questions,” she said. “It’s clear that Volandar intends to use the information as leverage over you in an attempt to influence me.”
“Why would he think that I have any influence over you?” asked Jack.
Mira didn’t say anything for several silent seconds.
“You sweet, foolish boy,” she whispered.
She cupped his cheek with her hand and gently kissed him on the lips. Jack felt a little ashamed at how exhausted his body was and could barely muster the effort to kiss her back.
“You are weakened,” said Mira. “Rest for tonight and regain your strength. I will further our cause on my own.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Jack.
“We need more information,” said Mira. “The Jade Circle vampires are, quite obviously, nocturnal. This is the time of day in which they go about their lives. If I make myself useful and keep my ears open, I may be able to learn something to put us back on equal footing with Volandar.”
Jack was a little unnerved by how similar Mira’s tactics sounded to Pierce’s plan. He nodded, letting one of his hands gently stroke the side of Mira’s face and her soft blonde hair.
“Alright,” he said. “Just be careful.”
“Oh, but of course,” she said. “You get plenty of rest. Don’t hesitate to take advantage of your thrall, either. That’s what she’s for.”
Mira kissed him again and then slipped out through the door, closing it behind her.
“You aren’t getting any weird ideas, are you?” asked Katie. She’d been silent for Jack’s conversation with Mira, and he faintly remembered the order he’d given her earlier to not speak unless spoken to. He was surprised that she’d stuck to it.
“Relax,” said Jack. “I still don’t feel strong enough to feed just yet. Maybe in the morning.”
“That’s not what I mean,” said Katie.
“Then what do you mean?”
“When your broodmother’s around,” said Katie. “You act like you trust her. It almost seems like it’s for real, instead of just for the sake of the plan.”
Jack looked at Katie, letting his eyes linger on hers. Her expression was a mixture of concern and frustration, and a cute pair of vertical wrinkles creased her face just above the freckled bridge of her noise.
“I do trust her,” said Jack.
Katie closed her eyes and looked away from him. He trusted Katie, too, more than he could put into words. Enough to tell her the truth, even if it wasn’t what she wanted to hear.
CHAPTER 18
There was no obvious indication of the arrival of morning in the cold, unwelcoming room that Jack and Katie shared for the night. Katie had made a show of dividing the bed with a pillow, and Jack had slept soundly, if more due to his recovering state than because of the lumpy mattress.
“You should do it now, if you need to,” said Katie. “We might not have the opportunity later today.”
“Have you taken the potion already?” asked Jack.
“Obviously,” said Katie. “Come on. Hurry the fuck up. Don’t make it weird.”
Katie leaned back on one elbow, pulling her hair aside to reveal her neck. She’d slept in her underwear, which was a fact that Jack had only been able to ignore due to his weakened state. She was still in her underwear, and one of the sheets had slipped low enough down to reveal her bra-clad breasts.
“I might have to take a little more than usual,” said Jack. He straddled her, placing an arm on either side of her body and leaning forward. Katie hadn’t brought up using the handcuffs, and Jack didn’t see a need to remind her.
“Just… be gentle,” said Katie.
“I always am,” said Jack. He leaned his face forward, letting his mouth draw near to her neck.
The image of Babish embracing Katie the night before came to the forefront of his mind. She’d been scared, but Jack had seen something else in her expression, on top of the fear. He wasn’t normally in a position to see Katie’s face when he was feeding off her, but for once, he’d seen it from an outside perspective.
Her eyes had been fluttering between being open and closed. She’d been biting her lower lip. Arching her back. She’d looked scared, but there had been excitement there, too. Even a hint of arousal, despite the fact that a monster like Babish had been the one about to bite her.
“Ready?” whispered Jack.
“I’ve been ready,” hissed Katie.
“Have you, now?”
He kissed her neck. Katie shuddered, and one of her hands clenched the side of the mattress. Jack let his fingers trace the length of her bare arm and kissed her neck again.
“Jesus, Jack,” whispered Katie. “What… what are you doing?”
“Biting you,” he said. He pressed his fangs against her neck hard enough for her to feel it, but not quite hard enough to pierce the flesh. Katie let out a pleasured gasp.
He kissed her neck again, then her cheek, then her lips. Katie kissed him back hungrily. Jack had a brief, fleeting thought about the fact that the girl he was kissing was not Ryoko, and only barely managed to pull himself back from the brink.
He sank his fangs into Katie without giving himself room to wander further astray. She let out a pleasured cry and bucked her hips up into him. It was really hard for Jack to ignore the way that felt, and how open her body was to him. Katie wrapped her legs around Jack as he sipped on her blood, kicking the sheets aside and putting their bare bodies in direct contact.
The poison had done a number on him, and only by exhaustin
g his reserve of blood essence had he managed to mostly recover overnight. He could feel Katie’s blood restoring his reservoir, filling it up again, one sip at a time. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to take as much as he wanted, and after a couple of seconds, he forced himself to stop.
Katie shuddered. She took heavy breaths and let her hands run across Jack’s back. He let his body press down on hers, briefly letting a dangerous amount of contact happen between certain parts of their bodies. She stared him, biting her lower lip, and practically daring him with her eyes to try to take it further. To see what would happen.
And against Jack’s better judgment, he did. He kissed her again, and felt her lips immediately stirring to life against his. Katie all but forced her tongue in his mouth, despite her earlier objections. Jack knew that it was primarily because of the effects of his bite, but he didn’t care.
He seized Katie by the thighs, sliding her toward the center of the small bed. She let out a tiny, fluttering moan as he groped one of her breasts through her bra. She’d gone to great lengths to take Ryoko’s place on their trip. Jack felt like it was only fair to show her just exactly what that meant. To give her a taste of how he fucked Ryoko on a regular basis.
He all but tore his boxers off and was in too much of a rush to do more than pull Katie’s panties to the side. He made eye contact with her as he pressed the first few inches of his shaft into her, though Katie’s eyelids were fluttering so much that it almost defeated the gesture.
There was no soft lead up, or gentle foreplay. Jack thrust deep into her, bottoming out and immediately falling into a fast, punishing pace. Katie let out low moans in time with his movements, and the bed groaned underneath them as its frame was put to the test.
It sometimes felt to Jack as though their relationship was more antagonistic than friendly. They spent so much time bickering with each other and letting the tension and frustration build. This was a form of release for Jack, and from the way Katie was moaning, he could tell that it was one for her, too.
He held onto her shoulder with one hand, and the other squeezed one of her buttocks. He gave it to her hard, feeling a strange, intoxicating mixture of emotions. Katie had been the object of his unrequited affection for so long. He felt a little possessive, as though with each rough thrust into her, he was marking his territory. He wanted to bite her again. He wanted to stay in bed all day and repeat the intimate process, over and over again.
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