“Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight.” Slowly, my mate counted as I struck him, even his mental voice breathless and a bit desperate. On occasion, I paused and caressed his hot skin, but that only made him more aware of the burning blows of the flogger when I went back to it. By the count of nine, he was on the edge of orgasm again, trembling under me. By ten, I myself was very close to coming just because of his pleasure. But he was still hanging on, miraculously keeping himself in check. He might have disobeyed me with regard to being silent, but his body had been trained to climax only when I allowed it. And I most certainly wouldn’t allow it until I was inside him.
As my mate brokenly whispered the “ten” in his mind, I eyed my handiwork, satisfied with the way his back glowed with the sign of my ownership. Reaching in front of Vesper, I gripped his dick and slowly jacked it, slicking up my hand with the generously flowing pre-cum. Something that I’d grown to learn—even if Vesper hadn’t told me himself, and might not have even been aware of—was that during his heat, my mate tended to leak a lot of the translucent liquid. That worked out well now, because oil wasn’t as convenient and easy to bring around as a flogger.
The one disadvantage was, of course, that my touch aroused Vesper a great deal, which in turn made heat flow through my veins. I forced myself to focus on him, on his pleasure, and not my own, but that didn’t really help, because at this point, we were far too entwined to separate between the pleasure we experienced as individuals.
Mercifully, my control held. I gathered his pre-cum in my palm and used it to slick up my cock. However, even with that, I was not convinced I wouldn’t hurt him if I just shoved my dick into him. Not only that, but according to my mental tally, he also had some more words to account for.
I parted his ass cheeks and thrust my tongue into his nether opening. Vesper choked, like he couldn’t draw breath or even think anymore. Allowing his pleasure to flow into me, I used it to feed my ravenous desire for him while I tongue-fucked him, stabbing my slick muscle into his clenching hole.
I aimed to prepare him as elaborately as I could, but I’d already been more patient than I even thought possible. As his pleas echoed in my mind—he was still obeying my command not to say anything out loud—I lifted my head and positioned my cock at the entrance to his body. Finally, in one single thrust, I buried myself inside my lover’s tight channel.
Vesper screamed as I hit his prostate, his body convulsing as he writhed through the pleasure I brought him. A wave of bright rapture flowed into me through our connection, almost like he’d climaxed without actually doing so. His mind was an incoherent whirlpool of desperate need, the sexual tension I’d built up adding onto his heat to melt his rational thoughts away. I had to admit that I was very close to that point, too. Gripping his hips, I started to pound in and out of him. Wild with need, I moved faster and faster, no longer bothering to tease him and aiming for his prostrate with my every stroke.
The position was good because it allowed me to penetrate him deeply, but I found that I craved to look into his beautiful eyes. As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I changed positions, flipping him around and drawing him into my lap. I was greeted by the sight of his flushed face and swollen lips, and nearly went mad with my own lust.
“Come on,” I growled as I impaled him once again. “Fuck yourself on my dick.”
He proceeded to do exactly that, whimpering and moaning, doing his best to support himself on my shoulders for more leverage. Meanwhile, I shoved my dick harder into the sanctuary of his body, feeling like I would never get enough, which was probably true. He had become my addiction, one I wouldn’t give up anytime soon.
Sadly, in spite of the intensity of the moment—or better said, because of it—I couldn’t make it last forever. My fangs ached with the desire to be sunk in his flesh. The thirst for his blood had been awakened inside me. When he arched his back and exposed the white column of his neck to me, I snapped. Without giving him a single word of warning, I struck. As I buried my fangs in his throat, I reached out to him through our bond and whispered, “Come.”
A million things happened at the same time. On my urge, Vesper climaxed, his ass tightening around my dick as he spurted hot jets of cum all over my abdomen. His blood flooded my mouth, filled with endorphins, like a rich wine spiced with an aphrodisiac I couldn’t resist. The pleasure of feeding from my one true mate while buried in his body was simply too much. Still clinging to him, I found my peak as well, filling his hot channel with my spunk.
All the while, our minds and souls reached out for one another. My thoughts and memories mingled with his, but those conscious ideas didn’t even matter. Nothing did outside this beautiful moment, when our bond glowed with the love I had never thought I would be able to experience, before meeting him.
As we both descended from the high of our shared orgasm, I released my hold on his throat and licked the wound clean. Vesper slumped in my arms, still whimpering slightly, sounding completely exhausted. I chuckled, loving him more with every second that passed.
I wanted to allow him to rest, because he was always tired after the heat left his body. Sadly, I couldn’t do it. It might not have been very smart to stop in the Laughing Forest for the purpose of having sex, but, sweet Goddess, it had been worth it. However, now that we’d sort of finished, we had to break apart far sooner than I’d have liked, because any moment we lingered here was a risk.
As it turned out, my guess was confirmed moments later. I’d just finished pulling my clothes on when a male voice sounded from my right. “Villain! Move away from him this instant.”
At least, that was what I guessed it must have said, because the words had been uttered at a very low volume. Truly, one would have thought that such a cry would come as a loud shout, but that wasn’t the case, and I soon found out why.
Two small beings stood at the edge of the grove, pointing bows equipped with tiny arrows at me. They looked like miniature versions of people, kind of pixie-sized, except without all the glowing dust. One of them was obviously male, while the other was female.
“You beast,” the tiny woman screamed at me. “How dare you harm him?”
I blinked and eyed them carefully. At this point, I knew better than to underestimate someone because of his or her size. Those arrows could be tipped with some sort of poison meant to harm vampires, or they could have powerful magic. I couldn’t take any chances or be arrogant, not with Vesper here.
“Stay down, my sweet,” I told my mate through my bond.
He narrowed his eyes at me and said nothing. Hoping he’d comply anyway, I began to pull away, drawing their attention from Vesper. The two creatures tensed, obviously ready to shoot their arrows at me. But before they could so, my mate attacked.
Completely disobeying me—which was something he appeared to enjoy when we weren’t fucking—he shifted into his rabbit form and ran toward them. His natural speed allowed him to reach them in seconds. I had no idea if they even saw him coming, but it didn’t matter. Before they could do anything about it, he grabbed them in his mouth, shaking them hard until they dropped all of their weapons. Really, it was kind of cute, and I couldn’t help but watch the scene with amusement. In his own way, Vesper was being protective of me. While it wasn’t in my nature to allow it, it felt nice to know that he wanted to protect me in the first place.
But I couldn’t lose track of what really mattered, and these dwarves—whatever the hell they were—could still be dangerous for my mate. I stalked to their side and arched a brow at Vesper’s captives. “Who in the world are you, and who sent you?”
I thought and maybe hoped that they would be reluctant to provide me the explanations I sought, but as it turned out, that wasn’t the case. “Why, we’re vampire hunters,” the man answered. “We were hired by the young shifter’s family.”
Vesper was so surprised that he dropped them. “Eh?”
Both small creatures turned toward my mate. “We’ve come to free you,” the male said to
Vesper. “You needn’t fear him any longer. Understand? You don’t have to obey him anymore.”
The woman carefully petted Vesper’s paw. She didn’t seem resentful of Vesper’s attack, or in any way fearful. “Just wait here. We’ll take care of this. I promise he’ll leave you alone.”
Vesper just stared at him in disbelief, while I rubbed my eyes tiredly. I had too many problems to worry about vampire hunters on top of everything. Frustrated with the entire thing, I picked them up and glared at them. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. You’re lucky Vesper’s here.” I grinned, displaying a hint of fang. “I think you might have bitten off more than you can chew.”
“Oh, I don’t think so,” the man replied, not looking impressed or in any way intimidated. I soon found out why. In a surprisingly agile maneuver, both creatures somehow wiggled out of my hold and leapt on top of me. The man actually retrieved a small knife, looking oddly fierce for someone his size. I batted both him and his companion before he could attack and Vesper lunged at them again.
“Enough!” he said. “I won’t allow you to attack Vlad. He isn’t a villain or whatever else you might believe. He’s my mate.”
“No, young shifter,” the man argued, shooting Vesper a look of pity that irritated me terribly. “You’re confused. Vampires have a way of messing with your mind. He’s not—”
Anger burned in my veins. I waved my hand, immobilizing the two creatures with a spell and interrupting him before he could finish the phrase. “Don’t you dare deny my mate bond with Vesper. I’ve been patient, but you’re crossing the line.”
Oddly enough, I didn’t think my threatening demeanor, or even my spell, scared them. They seemed to have no concept of self-preservation. Nonetheless, they looked from Vesper to me, and back, and seemed to realize the truth.
“You have our apologies, vampire,” the small man said, all trace of haughtiness gone from his voice. “I assure you that we have only the deepest respect for mate bonds.”
“They said that you were kept captive for months,” the woman continued. “Were we misinformed?”
I took Vesper in my arms and caressed his fur while I released the enchantment on the two creatures. “It’s a long story,” I replied. I honestly didn’t have the patience to explain everything to them, not to mention that I didn’t trust them one bit. “We were away due to circumstances beyond our control.”
“We were actually coming to see my parents, because we have to go on a journey again,” Vesper explained.
“I don’t think your warren will allow that, young shifter,” the man answered. “Ah, but where are my manners. I’m Tom Thumb, and this is my wife, Thumbelina.”
“It’s a pleasure,” I replied just as smoothly. It occurred to me that their names certainly fit, but I made no comment on that. “My name is Count Vlad Dracula, and this is my beautiful mate, Vesper. As for what Vesper’s family will or will not allow…I’m afraid it’s not their decision to make.”
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Vesper added, “My friend’s mate, Kirril, is missing. We have to go find him.”
“Oh…Kirril?” Thumbelina perked up, as if enthusiastic. “You know someone named Kirril?”
Vesper twitched in my arms, obviously startled. “Do you think they might know something?” he asked through our bond.
“Maybe,” I replied. “We’re not losing anything by inquiring. But let’s not give too many details away.”
My sweet mate seemed to agree. “Prince Kirril of Arthuria,” Vesper explained without adding anything else. “Why do you ask?”
“Well,” Tom Thumb drawled, “we may or may not have found a certain wounded man in our travels. He remembers very little, but he calls himself Kirril. Still, it was a good distance from Arthuria. I don’t think it could be the same person. Except…he did mention a Dini…”
“Oh, it must be him,” Vesper said excitedly, his ears perking up. “He disappeared during an expedition in a distant land, and we were supposed to travel there now. But if you have any news of him, it would be very helpful.”
I nodded quietly. The chances of running into two vampire hunters who knew what had happened to Kirril were disgustingly slim, but stranger things had happened. Goddess, we’d been relying on the Rainbow Brick Road to take us to the edge of the cursed kingdom, and from that point, we’d planned to venture into the unknown. If anyone could provide us with extra information, I would be more than grateful.
The two beings shared a look, then turned toward Vesper and me again. “We’ve wronged you, esteemed vampire,” Tom Thumb said. “For that, we’ll provide you with assistance in this matter.”
I couldn’t help a frown. “I hope you don’t expect me to trust you just like that.”
The little man shook his head. “I am told that you can see memories in blood, correct? Well, you can read mine and see I’m telling the truth.”
It was brave of him to offer, especially since he seemed to understand vampires and probably realized I could hurt him, badly. For a few moments, I considered the possibility of a trap. Vampire hunters had all sorts of tricks in that regard. However, I’d just fed on Vesper. My magic and my powers were stronger than ever. I was confident I could handle anything they threw at me.
“Very well then,” I said as I knelt next to the small man. Vesper climbed onto my shoulder as I took the small man in the palm of my hand again and said, “This will only be a second.”
I made a small cut in his palm, making sure I was very careful because of his small size. A few droplets of blood fell on my fingers. I gathered them and brought them to my lips. Instantly, a kaleidoscope of images flashed through my mind.
It should have been far harder to find what I needed, because of the limited quantity of blood I had to use. In fact, it wasn’t only the blood itself that vampires used for the purpose of our readings. We actually bit down on someone’s flesh, then used the blood to force our way into that person’s mind though our psychic abilities. But powerful vampires transcended those limitations, and with the boost of Vesper’s blood, I got my answers. Tom Thumb and Thumbelina had, indeed, found Kirril.
When I pulled back and placed the little man back on the grass, I knew where we needed to go. “My sweet, I suspect we’ll have to delay our visit with your parents,” I told Vesper. “There’s no time to waste.”
Vesper winced when he saw the information I’d acquired from Tom Thumb. Kirril was in a serious condition. He needed our help, at once. While Vesper had to see his parents and reassure them of his well-being, Kirril could very well be in mortal danger. We had to handle that first.
“You can come with me to my hollow,” Tom Thumb offered. “My dear wife will go to young Vesper’s warren and tell them what happened.”
Vesper nodded. “Let them know I will be home to meet with them soon. A lot has happened, and my friends need me.”
“I will,” Thumbelina promised.
She hugged her husband then turned away from us, disappearing into the undergrowth mere seconds later. I literally pocketed Tom Thumb, stashing him in my coat while my mate curled into my arms.
“You know,” I idly told Vesper through our bond, “by now, I would have hoped to just be living in the castle with you, enjoying our mating.”
Vesper released a small sigh. “I suppose that if this was one of Larue’s fairytales, we might have been doing exactly that. But you know, Dini told me that when he went into that other world, he found out you were a character in a horror story.”
For some reason, the non-sequitur made me smile. “Oh? And what happened at the end?”
“I have no idea.” I could hear the frown in Vesper’s voice. “Dini didn’t say.”
I chuckled. “Well, I’m pretty sure that if there was a witch in that tale, I beat her.”
As we spoke, Tom Thumb watched us curiously, so I finally sobered and readied myself for what was to come. I pet Vesper’s fur and focused on the location I’d detected in Tom Thumb’s mind. Seconds later, when we
emerged in Tom Thumb’s hollow, my eyes fell on Prince Kirril’s figure. I couldn’t help but wonder if, this time around, I’d be able to beat the witch after all.
THE END
WWW.SCARLETHYACINTH.WEBS.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A native Romanian, Scarlet was born in 1986 and grew up an avid fan of Karl May and Jules Verne, reading fantasy stories and adventure.
Later, when she was out of fantasy stories to read, she delved into her mother’s collection of books and, of course, stumbled onto romance.
As a writer though, Scarlet Hyacinth was born one sunny summer day, when a dear friend of hers—the same friend who introduced her to GLBT fiction—suggested they start writing a story of their own. As it turns out, the two friends never did finish that particular story, but Scarlet discovered she had a knack for writing and ended up starting to write individually. And so, between working on her dissertation, studying for exams, and reading yaoi manga, she started writing the Kaldor Saga. Along the way, Scarlet met a lot of wonderful people who supported her, and in the end, she found her story a home and, in the process, fulfilled a beautiful dream.
For all titles by Scarlet Hyacinth, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/scarlet-hyacinth
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Undead Have Bunnies, Too [A Tail Like No Other: Book Four] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) Page 14