Undead Have Bunnies, Too [A Tail Like No Other: Book Four] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove)

by Scarlet Hyacinth

  The hopeful tone in which he said that last phrase made me very tempted to say “yes.” After all, I had Vesper back. I’d done what I’d come here for. From this point on, I didn’t particularly care about what happened.

  Only, I did, and I couldn’t lie to my mate about it. My people were generally dismissive of everyone else outside their own covens—which in my case included my sister and Vesper. However, Vesper had taught me to truly care. Countless times, I had seen his genuine happiness upon learning that his friends were safe or had found mates. I had seen him rejoice at the news that Dineiro would have a baby, or when the curse on Larue’s mate had been broken. He’d even been happy for Rapunzel and Medwin, although they hardly knew each other.

  Therefore, I had to tell Vesper the truth. “We were still fighting her when I got shoved into the portal,” I replied, softly petting his fur in the hopes that it would calm him down. “We asked Rapunzel’s real father to help us with an incantation that would seal the witch again. But she is very powerful, and to tell you the truth, I’m not sure what happened after I ended up here.”

  “Take us back,” Vesper said, his small body trembling in my arms. “You can do it, right?”

  I nodded. Even if the portal was gone, I could still use my own magic to transport us back to Grimoire. I had yet to figure out where we were right now, but that was not so important.

  Holding tightly onto my mate, I closed my eyes and focused on returning us to my previous location. My magic wound around us, ready to carry us back to Grimoire as I’d commanded it to. However, in a peculiar and startling development, nothing happened. My spell sizzled and died, my powers recoiling back inside me in a confused lump.

  “Vlad?” my mate inquired. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m not really sure,” I admitted. “I can’t take us back.”

  Frowning, I got up and looked around my current environment. The vegetation wasn’t much different from Merlinia or Grimoire, at least, not on first glance. But then, I realized something almost ridiculously obvious. Here, the sun was hidden behind heavy clouds, so thick that no rays got through. All of the plants were species I recognized as nocturnal, flowering only after dusk. In the distance, an ominous-looking swamp glowed with a distinctly malevolent greenish light. Fuck. We were in Necro Valley.

  “We need to get out of here,” I said. “This is dangerous.”

  “Dangerous?” my mate repeated. “Why? Where are we?”

  “We’re in my homeland, Necro Valley,” I explained, already starting to walk away in the direction opposite to the swamp. I didn’t want to scare him, though, so I refrained from saying that here, someone like him would be prey.

  “So is there something here that would harm me? Would other vampires disagree to me mating you?”

  That hadn’t even occurred to me. More likely, other vampires were liable to pick this chance to get even with me for leaving Necro Valley. I wasn’t sure if my sire had ever forgiven me for leaving, but I wasn’t holding my breath—so to speak.

  Besides, Necro Valley wasn’t only home to the undead, but countless other undead creatures, some nastier than others. A bunny—however carnivorous he might be—would be a delicious treat for many of them.

  “That’s not it,” I said. “I’m not very popular with my people since I left Necro Valley, and I don’t want that to have an effect on you.”

  Tentatively, I tested my magic once again, this time to see if I could fly. Much to my relief, I levitated above ground without too much difficulty. However, I decided not to actually use this method of travel. One would have thought that during the day, Necro Valley wasn’t as dangerous as at night, but paradoxically, that wasn’t the case. These hours were critical in that only the strongest predators came out. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself, especially not here and so close to the Nameless Swamp.

  Thankfully, in spite of having been gone for so long, I still knew my way around Necro Valley. Therefore, I could orient myself with ease. Using my supernatural speed and stealth—which I mercifully maintained—I ran through the quiet forest.

  “Where are we going?” my mate asked.

  “As far away from the Nameless Swamp as possible,” I replied. I needed to find shelter for my mate so that we had a safe place to stay in while my magic was keeping me here. After that, I could go feed, and hopefully, that would fix whatever my fight with the witch had broken.

  “The Nameless Swamp? That doesn’t sound so bad.”

  “Yes, well, my people might be fierce, but contrary to popular belief, they’re not very original,” I said. “Or rather, we tend to get bored of everything we pick quickly. That swamp is so old that it had a thousand other names. The Graveyard, the Undying Swamp, The Ruthless Bog, the Marshlands of Horror, and so on and so forth. Eventually, we got bored of all of them and it became like that, the Nameless Swamp.”

  The explanation drew a small breathless giggle from my mate. Strikingly enough, in spite of the less than ideal circumstances, I found my body heating up in response to the sound. I mentally groaned. I guessed it wasn’t all that surprising. My instinctive knowledge of the connection between us flared now that he was with me again. The only thing keeping me in check was the fact that he remained in his shifted form, but in spite of it, my body felt a little feverish, obviously responding to his heat period.

  It was all a little crazy, but then, I was crazy about him. I only hoped that my mate would remain in his bunny form until I could find a safe place for us to stay, because if he changed shapes, all bets were off.

  I was greatly relieved when I finally caught sight of a small, rundown house. Hidden amongst the trees, it was difficult to spot for someone who didn’t already know about its existence. I’d actually feared that it might have been destroyed during the past centuries, but apparently, the wards its previous occupant had created remained in place. Thank the Goddess.

  I pushed past the vegetation covering the crumbling door and stepped inside the house. Naturally, the structure was in complete disrepair. Humidity had rotted all of the furniture, and all sorts of critters crawled on the floor. Not to mention that it literally smelled like something had died in there. In all likelihood, that was exactly what had happened.

  My mate didn’t seem very upset about it, though. If anything, he appeared to be excited. “A hunting ground? For me? Thank you, Vlad!”

  He leapt out of my arms and started chasing the small animals around the room. Apparently, his heat period also amplified his hunting instincts. Who knew? And most importantly, why in the world did I find it so endearing? Why in the world did I feel like, in that moment, I fell in love with him a little more? It was a mystery, one that I deeply pondered as I stood there, watching him, feeling strangely happy and carefree. We might have unexpectedly ended up in my homeland, but the important thing was that we were together. Magic or no magic, I would protect Vesper, and his right to chase rodents in a time-forgotten crumbling house. He was too adorable for anything different.

  Chapter Five:

  In Which the Bunny’s Wait Is Over and an Unexpected Arrival Is Overweight

  From a very young age, a carnivorous rabbit was taught that he had two very important duties to accomplish in life, to hunt and to breed. Those two things were often connected, as a good hunter was more likely to find a mate who would eventually provide offspring and perpetuate the species.

  I’d never been very remarkable at hunting. Due to our size, we were only supposed to go after large prey in groups, but whenever I joined, I ended up accidentally ruining the hunt by making an unnecessary noise and alerting our prey.

  Now was no different, as my success in my task was limited at best. I felt a little frustrated, because my instincts screamed at me to provide my mate with sustenance. I could tell he wasn’t himself, and I wanted to help. My hunting ground was right here, in front of me. However, the only kill I could make was a small gray mouse without too much meat on it. I almost felt bad for even slaying it, because I w
asn’t really hungry and Vlad wouldn’t want it.

  Nevertheless, I grabbed it in my mouth and dejectedly carried it to my mate. As I placed my small token of appreciation down, Vlad released a small chuckle. My beast whined, taking his chuckle as a proof of rejection.

  Obviously noticing this, my mate ignored the dead mouse and picked me up instead. “You’re so adorable,” he said as he hugged me.

  “I am not,” I argued. “I am a predator. I’m supposed to be able to provide for you, for my mate.”

  In spite of my protests, his hand in my fur felt really good. It was a wonder how he managed to circumvent all of my previous quirks. Now, enjoying his petting had actually become among my favorite activities.

  “I’ll tell you a little secret, my sweet,” Vlad whispered. “I’m a vampire. I don’t require you to hunt for me. My favorite prey is right here.”

  As he spoke, his fingers trailed over my spine. Finally, I surrendered to the inevitable and changed into my second form, the human one that existed specifically for the purpose of mating with people outside our species. Vlad seemed to be very appreciative of my decision, because he released a low groan.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he said. “I have no idea how I even resisted you until now.”

  “Does that mean that you won’t resist me any longer?” I inquired, rubbing my naked body against his.

  I almost didn’t dare to hope that it would be so, because I knew all too well how much it meant to Vlad for us to do things right. As it turned out, I needn’t have worried because my mate had run out of patience, too.

  “I’m sorry, my sweet,” he said. “I should have claimed you in a better place, like you deserve. But I can’t wait any longer.”

  “And I don’t want you to wait,” I replied.

  Vlad took me into his arms and carried me outside. He found a spot on the grass and placed me down. “This place can be used as shelter,” he explained, “but anything else is out of the question.”

  I didn’t particularly care about details on our current location, but I still let out an inquiring noise. “Oh?”

  “This house used to belong to a famous necromancer,” Vlad said as he crawled on top of me and peppered my face with kisses. “One day, he raised a female zombie who was so beautiful he couldn’t help but fall in love with her.”

  “That’s kind of romantic, in a strange, twisted way,” I said. As he nibbled on my throat, I moaned, releasing a breathless plea. “Yes, oh…More, Vlad.”

  Vlad hummed thoughtfully and brushed his lips over mine. “Yes, romantic. Sadly, the female zombie only had interest in eating brains and not so much in making love, and she broke his heart. He’s been missing ever since. But why am I even telling you this?”

  I laughed lightly. “I have no idea. Kiss me, Vlad. Touch me.”

  My mate proceeded to do exactly that. This time, when our mouths came in contact, the butterfly-light pecks from before melted into a devouring, soul-consuming kiss. He thrust his tongue into my wet cavern, claiming me just like I had dreamed from the day we had met. I wrapped my arms around his neck, grinding against him, my dick throbbing painfully as it nudged his own clothed cock.

  It was painful to have a barrier between our bodies, no matter how flimsy it was. The material of his clothing scratched my oversensitive skin, and I clawed at it, wishing that my fingernails were at least as sharp as my fangs. Mercifully, I didn’t have to take the matter in my own paws, because Vlad handled it. He briefly broke our kiss, which pained me deeply. However, it was all for a good cause, and I didn’t even get the chance to protest, because in the blink of an eye, Vlad shed his clothing.

  In spite of all of the time we’d spent together, I’d never actually seen Vlad naked. It was likely the only reason why it had taken me this long to go into heat in the first place, because if I’d set eyes on his nudity, that would have quickly changed.

  As it was, his kisses had enflamed me so much that I almost came just upon getting a glimpse of his naked form. My mouth went dry, and my head started to spin. I didn’t even know what to touch first. I craved to trace the lines of his six-pack with my tongue, to mouth the coppery disks of his nipples and map every inch of him with my fingers and my lips. I wanted to kneel in front of him and suck his magnificent prick deep, to sample the flavor of his pre-cum, which I already knew would be delicious. A month ago, I might not have dared to make those dreams reality, since I still suffered from an acute lack of experience. But now, my heat and my unbearable desire for him short-circuited my rational side, leaving behind only pure, molten desire.

  The moment he discarded his clothing, I pounced and crushed our mouths together once again. If he was surprised, he didn’t show it, instead taking over the kiss with natural ease. His hand snaked between our bodies, gripping my cock in a nearly ruthless hold. I gasped as he rubbed his thumb over the leaking tip, the sound muffled by our lip-lock. I was already impossibly close to coming, and he’d only just started to touch me. Writhing in his embrace, I wordlessly tried to convey my need for him, hoping that it would make him give me some relief.

  As it seemed, my mate had other plans. He bit down on my lower lip, and I tasted blood as his fangs broke the skin. The action was a warning and a promise, a reminder of who was really in charge. It excited me more than I’d thought was possible, and I’d have undoubtedly found my peak if he hadn’t suddenly pushed me away.

  “No, you don’t, my sweet,” he said. “Not just yet. I want to taste your pleasure.”

  As he spoke, he squeezed the base of my dick, an unforgiving touch that pushed my orgasm back, while oddly adding to my pleasure. I didn’t know if it was the physical compulsion, or merely the sound of his voice and the look in his eyes that bound me to this sexual torment, but there I lingered, on the edge, unable to climax, a slave to his will.

  “That’s it,” he purred in my ear, almost sounding like a large feline. He pinned my hands above my head with one strong fist. “Submit to me. You are mine. Isn’t that right, Vesper?”

  His eyes glowed red as he spoke, and there was something hypnotic in it. Was this what he had meant when he’d said I didn’t understand what it would be like to mate a vampire? Perhaps. Some people might have thought it scary, but not me. To me, those crimson orbs looked beautiful, like twin suns threatening to burn me whole, to brand me as forever belonging to Vlad.

  “Yours,” I said, somewhat marveling at the fact that I was even able to speak. “Yours forever.”

  Vlad released a low growl, which I could translate as a sign or arousal and possessiveness. My nostrils were invaded by the scent of his desire for me. I needed to touch him more than I did my next breath, but I was held captive by his gaze. He didn’t even necessarily have to maintain his hold on my arms, because I couldn’t have fought him if I’d wanted to.

  Obviously realizing my complete and utter surrender, Vlad released my wrists. “Good,” he said. “Now, my sweet, you absolutely mustn’t come until I tell you to.”

  I whimpered, but nodded. Vlad shot me a satisfied smirk, and crawled down my body. Without giving me a single word of warning, he took my cock in his mouth.

  Pleasure exploded through me as wet heat engulfed my engorged dick. I had thought that I knew what ecstasy meant, but I’d been a fool, because up until this moment, I’d never truly understood the extent of it. Now, my whole sense of self focused on the bliss that my mate offered, on the maddening suction that tortured me in such a beautiful way. He had told me not to come, and I wanted to keep my promise toward him, but it was just so hard—no pun intended. He licked my cock from the base to the tip, then suckled the head, exploring the tiny hole in the glans. He teased me with tiny flicks of his tongue, mapped my balls with his talented fingers and that sinful mouth, and just as I thought I was going to lose my mind, he once again started his previous ruthless pace. I was lost in it, lost in him, hanging onto sanity by a very thin thread.

  And then, Vlad did something completely unexpected. Sucking my pr
ick all the way into his throat, he swallowed around the head and bit down. His fangs pierced the sensitive flesh of my cock. It should have hurt, and, to a certain extent, maybe it did, but my body seemed hardwired to translate that pain into pleasure. The rapture that exploded over me was simply indescribable. I tried to hold myself in check, not wanting to fail my mate, but I had no hope of withstanding the onslaught of ecstasy that assaulted me. Crying out Vlad’s name, I came, filling his mouth with my spunk.

  For a few moments, I wasn’t aware of anything except the bliss that Vlad had coaxed out of me. I might have actually blacked out, except Vlad decided he wasn’t done. Even as he released my dick from his mouth, he licked it clean, making renewed heat flow through me. And when he finally lifted his gaze, he grinned almost evilly. “I didn’t tell you to come.”

  I refrained from pointing out that he couldn’t have said anything, because he’d had his mouth full of cock. I very much suspected that whatever I said wouldn’t make a difference. Besides, I didn’t think I could speak. My orgasm had only made the overpowering heat worse. My senses felt both muddled and a million times more focused. I couldn’t register any of my surroundings, but I saw Vlad clearer than ever before, marveled in the ways different shades of red danced with utter blackness in his eyes. I drank in the sight of his gorgeous body that almost seemed sculpted out of the purest marble, aching to touch him, to hold onto his hair and test its softness. But he was the one in charge of this, and I was completely at his mercy. I had already come without being allowed to, and moving again would be a terrible idea.

  “What punishment do you think you deserve?” Vlad asked me almost idly. As he spoke, he gripped my dick and jacked it slowly. “Tell me, my sweet.”

  I let out a tortured noise, but couldn’t really focus on what he’d asked me. “V–Vlad,” I stammered instead. “Please.”