by Myra Nour
“To taste your skin, as you wish to do mine.”
His eyes were drawn to her lush lips. Even while he looked, she slid her mouth open and relaxed her deadly three inch fangs into striking position, but then simply looked at him with a questioning stare. Could he? Dare he? The next question he asked himself was why would he? He answered that easy enough; he knew the sexual sizzle that ignited within himself when his fangs sank into her succulent flesh, the snake goddess desired the same experience.
“What about your venom?”
“I can withhold it.”
Her peridot eyes were expectant and curious. He knew she wondered if he trusted her enough to allow such liberties. And he did. He did not wish to withhold from her an experience he’d desired himself and wished to repeat.
Rising to his knees, he turned his head, exposing his left side. Gracefully, she flowed to her knees in front of him.
He couldn’t help it—he held his breath while her head moved slowly toward his shoulder. But then she moved with eye-blinking speed, so that the pain of her sharp, long fangs striking was less intense than he guessed it would have been if she’d sunk them in slowly. She’d chosen the area between his neck and shoulder joint, probably because it was less sensitive then the neck. For this consideration, he was thankful. As it was, sharp needles of pain shot from the two pinpricks.
Turning his neck slowly, he held in the gasp while pain lanced through his upper body. Sinking his fangs into her exposed neck took but a heartbeat. The pain that throbbed through his head and shoulders began to subside while he drank in slowly from her strong shapeshifter blood.
She hadn’t moved a micrometer the whole time. She seemed to realized it would cause him further pain. Now, her tongue began a gentle caress between her fangs, soothing his skin. It wiggled down his back, came back up to stroke his neck and upper shoulder. Raynor wondered if her saliva had healing properties, because abruptly all pain stopped as if it’d never been.
Acting in kind, he smoothed his tongue between his fangs and received a shiver of excitement from his beautiful snake goddess. Remembering they were locked in a lover’s embrace, he began to move slowly in and out of her mysterious channel again. He had stayed hard through the whole process, something he found somewhat surprising due to the intense pain when she first sank her fangs into him.
Suddenly, his whole system was galvanized with pleasure so acute, it almost seemed as if the pain of her fangs sinking into his shoulder had returned. But it was a deep, thrilling sexual humming along his veins, not torment from physical injury. He began thrusting again while he sucked her blood into his throat his lower body reacted with wild thrusts that were matched with maddening intensity by his partner.
She moaned between her fangs, making his skin between those sharp canines tingle. And he knew that she was experiencing the same hard-driven sexual need as he was. He needed her for sustenance—of his vampire thirst, of his soul seeking its soulmate, and of his male body striving for an orgasm to out blast any other before it.
Her strange alien thoughts crawled around the fringes of his mind and he welcomed them, took succor from them like another life-giving fluid. He threw his own sensual desires at her and heard her groan in his mind. Then she hissed aloud. A hiss of dark desire and need.
Warm blood flowed slowly over his tongue while her feminine fluids dripped from her slit and flowed down his penis, making it easier to thrust harder and deeper into her snake pussy. An invisible string of dark hunger sprang up between his mouth and his cock; he couldn’t tell which was which. Was he fucking her neck or sucking blood from her secret feminine parts? It all ran together in a mind-blowing experience, one that ended in an orgasm that gripped his balls in a tight clench and rippled his body with spasms.
He bellowed while his hands grasped her slim waist until they dug into her yielding flesh. Her orgasm contracted around his cock, milking the last drops of his seed inside her channel, and she hissed loudly against his shoulder. She withdrew her fangs while the last of his intense climax flushed through his system, and he drew his sharp canines from her neck as well. He rested his head against her shoulder, breathing deeply while her tongue laved the puncture area, making it numb and cool at the same time.
Barely having the strength to lift his head, he nevertheless licked her neck where his fangs had penetrated. They fell ungracefully to the mattress, both spent beyond belief. After some minutes, while they cuddled, they shifted.
“When do I get to go to town?” she asked abruptly.
“Soon.”
“How about tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow…I just got back today,” he groaned, but then saw her face and smiled. “Okay, tomorrow.
* * * * *
The walk to the township wasn’t bad. It felt wonderful to stretch her legs, and the boots were comfortable. Several people waved and greeted Raynor once they arrived. There appeared to be one main street, which was narrow, with quaint shops and cottages lining it. They were jammed in next to each other. Most were two story structures, unlike the simple one story dwellings of the villagers. Some were made of stone, but most from wood. Like the smaller village, some abodes looked dismally empty.
Shops were located in the center of the town, and many people strolled along, either window-shopping or purchasing items from inside the charming places.
“I’m surprised the town is so crowded with people.” Her eyes flicked over the boarded up homes.
“I think a lot of people come from the nearby villages for market day and to shop.”
Briana shook her head in agreement; it was a reasonable assumption. Pushing aside her disturbing thoughts about the many people who had died of the Plaque for it to be so empty, she enjoyed browsing leisurely through a fabric shop. The many choices surprised her. Silk, velvet, brocade, linen, and various types of wool were offered for sale.
“You’d look beautiful wrapped in this.” Raynor pulled down a swatch of silken red material from a tall shelf.
Her hand smoothed over the fabric, enjoyed its luxurious texture. She’d never thought much of silk before; it seemed too delicate for a career woman’s wardrobe. But the soft, erotic feel of it as it slid over her hands, entranced her. Maybe she could consider silk eveningwear, or a nightgown made of its rich fabric. “When we get back, I might buy an outfit made of silk.”
“Sounds good. But you look better with nothing but your hair covering you.”
Not thinking, she answered, “My hair is not long enough to cover anything.” Her hand paused as it fingered blue silk and she glanced at him.
Raynor was grinning ear to ear. She felt the dark blush creep up her neck and burn her cheeks.
Exiting the shop swiftly, she halted when she spied a pub, from which singing and jolly voices emitted. Peeking inside, she saw immediately it was not an establishment that welcomed women. But, a few minutes later, they ran across a vendor selling ale from his wagon. It was delicious and refreshing.
“Good.”
She nodded her agreement. “Do you drink?”
“Only socially.” He smiled at her and took another sip.
Happiness flashed through her at his answer. One of her boyfriends had been an alcoholic, and she’d promised herself she would never put up with another man who drank too much.
Pausing at a blacksmith’s, they watched him shoe a horse. It was hot, hard work and Briana admired the man’s diligence. The odor of horse manure and fresh hay was strong; conflicting smells of pleasant and not so pleasant. In fact, she realized, the whole town was pervaded by a stench. Unwashed bodies, the open stables, and pigs running underfoot, all vied for the most foul smelling award. Topping them all, was an open drainage ditch that ran along each side of the street, and more than once they had to sidestep while water and trash was thrown from windows to the ditch below.
Thankfully, a baker’s shop invited them in with the delicious smells floating outside, covering the not so pleasant odors of the crowded town. They purchased a pastry apiece and then
went outside, nibbling the goodies up. “Mmm.” Briana swiped at a glob of jelly on her lower lip.
“Here, let me help.” Raynor flicked the remaining dollop from her lip and stuck his finger in his mouth. He sucked on it noisily and grinned at her.
Briana’s stomach boiled and her nipples hardened instantly. It was as if he’d sampled her nipples instead of pastry jelly; at least, that’s what her wandering mind thought.
She noticed he had a crumb at the corner of his molded male lips. Reaching up, she brushed it away, but before she could move her finger, he grabbed it and licked the tip.
His charming smile and teasing lick caused heat to lash through her lower lips. Her clit jumped, as if he’d flicked it instead of her finger. She was sorry when he withdrew his tongue, taking her hand and walking on. But she knew they’d have time for sex later.
Spying a barbershop, they watched in fascination when leeches were applied to a man’s arm. When he got through with his medical duties, the barber cut another patron’s hair. The open market was the most enjoyable; almost anything you could imagine, at least in these times, were for sale. They didn’t return to the tower until late, just before sunset.
* * * * *
Raynor paused just inside the drawbridge. “I smell blood.”
She hesitated but a few seconds before following him to the other tower, and screeched to a halt to keep from running into him. Raynor stood as rigid as a statue.
Peering around his shoulder, she gasped. There was a nude girl tied to the dining table and a very pale young man roped to the gothic chair.
Raynor strode to the table, anger evident in every step. Not wanting to see, but knowing she had to, Briana edged next to him.
The girl’s wrists and ankles were tied by the ropes to each corner of the heavy table. Her white skin was marred by pinprick marks, not only on her neck and wrists, but also along her upper thighs. Dried blood had trickled from the wounds and pooled in small spots on the wood. Her eyes were drawn unwillingly to the young woman’s lower body, where a larger splattering of blood was gathered between her thighs.
She blinked. For a second she wondered if they’d bitten the girl’s tender female parts; such a thought made her shudder in sympathy. But then she realized they’d probably raped the poor thing.
Making them both jump, the girl opened her eyes and spoke, “I’m so cold.”
“She’s alive,” Briana whispered, touching her hand and perceiving the barest of pulses.
Raynor jerked the tunic from his body and laid it gently around the girl’s chest. “Who did this to you?” he asked, even though they were both quite sure who had perpetrated this horrible crime.
Her smooth brow wrinkled. “Thomas and I were paid good wages to bring fresh rushes to this room.” Her lovely blue eyes caught Briana’s tearful ones. “We were terrified to come here, but it was such good money.”
Silence followed when her eyes closed, and Raynor shook her slightly. Her eyes came up to him this time. “I thought we did a good job; the floor was in a filthy state.”
“Yes,” she said softly, stroking the girl’s forehead. “You both did a lovely job.” She turned the girl’s face toward her. “Can you tell us who injured you?”
Suddenly, the girl’s eyes widened in fear. She seemed to come out of her blood-loss haze. Her breath came in small, heaving pants and her lips trembled. She appeared to struggle mightily to speak. Raynor leaned down, but when he raised back up Briana knew the girl had died, even before he shook his head slowly, sadness lighting his golden eyes.
“Oh-h.” The word stuck in her throat. She turned and quickly walked to the young man. Raynor had reached her side by the time she pressed two fingers against his neck. She straightened and shook her head as he’d done with the girl.
They stared down at the havoc wreaked on the man, barely past boyhood. He too had been bitten in the neck, wrists, and thighs. She had a sudden sickening image—that of the women vampires feasting on the young man and the male vampires on the girl.
“What do we do?” Fright, anger and nausea were wrapped up in one tight ball in her stomach.
“Kill them!” His statement was short, to the point, and she knew he meant it.
“But, we are only two against four.” He simply stared at her, his anger barely held in check behind those amber orbs.
Ignoring her, Raynor untied the ropes on the young man—his body didn’t move, his limbs rested on the chair arms, while his handsome face drooped upon his chest. Returning to the table, Raynor undid the ropes binding the girl. He froze when his eyes traveled up from the wood top. Wondering what on Earth he could find to stun him after these grisly discoveries, Briana looked across the room, at floor level.
No, her mind denied it. It couldn’t be. She stumbled toward the small, crumpled body and Raynor reached for her, but his hands missed. Falling to her knees, she ignored the pain from hitting the cold earthen floor, and brushed a lock of brown hair from the staring eyes.
It was Robert. His sweet eyes would see no more…he was dead. Would she ever forget the look in those rigid eyes, one of horror and childish nightmares come true?
She doubted it. Gently turning his jaw towards her, then away, she was thankful for one tiny fact; there was only one vampire bite on his neck. The poor child had not had to suffer innumerable bites on his body. With his small size, she only hoped he’d died quickly.
Gathering him in her arms, she cradled his body like a mother for a long time, rocking gently, while tears streamed down her chin onto her bosom. Raynor stood behind her, offering comfort with his solid presence.
Finally, she stood, struggling with his limp weight, but thrusting off her companion’s attempt to help. “We must take him home to his father.”
“Of course.”
She faced him and stared into his eyes, hers hardened with resolve. “Whatever it takes.” She could read by his expression that he understood, and he nodded his head in silent agreement. She was no longer terrified; she was past that, her grief turned inward into anger so intense, she wanted to strike out, rend the perpetrators into tiny bits of flesh.
“Look what we have here, visitors.”
Just the voices she wanted, needed to hear.
“Why would you do this?” Raynor’s voice was filled with anger.
The vampire they assumed was William of Haworth, stepped forward. “We told you already this is our play room…if we’d known you wished to participate in our games, we would have waited for you.”
Briana sneered at his attempt at wit, and then gently laid Robert’s body on the table next to the girl.
William’s eyes flicked to her and he commented, “Can you believe that boy thought there was treasure hidden in these ruins?”
Raynor growled, and she knew his inner pain when he recalled his carefree remark to Robert concerning buried treasure. He shifted; it seemed to only take a few seconds, and she wondered if it was his anger and guilt fueling the swift change. The leader started toward him and the others appeared distracted by the two opponents.
Briana let her pain and anger swell inside until a lance of agony shot through her; she rode the process, welcomed it. She knew when the shift was complete, because she received that “distancing” effect when the snakewoman took over her senses. The vampires hissed and backed up, except for the leader who grappled with Raynor.
Ripping the now ill-fitting clothes from her, Briana/snakewoman advanced on the three vampires moving with whipcord speed to slam the door shut when the redhead female edged toward the exit. The vampire screamed and scuttled backward, bumping into the blonde woman.
The other male chose the less dangerous adversary and attacked Raynor from the back. She had no time to worry about her lover. He was strong, and she had two disgusting creatures to dispose of.
The flame haired vampire turned tail and cowered behind the chair holding the youth. Briana’s piercing stare caught the other. Her prey’s eyes were terrified, but defiant. The vamp j
umped, intending to wrap her arms about the snakewoman’s throat, but Briana stretched upward and the woman’s hands flailed uselessly against her lower body.
Unexpectedly, the vampire drew her lips back and sank her fangs into Briana’s tail. The creature sucked mightily and by her expression, thought she’d gotten into an advantageous position. Snakewoman bent over, towering above the kneeling vampire. The shifter sensed her presence and glanced up, withdrawing her teeth in sudden fear. Briana crouched over her like a tigress, her long fangs exposed to their full lethal length.
With a loud hiss, she grabbed the vampire’s shoulders and hauled her upward, extending to her impressive seven foot height balanced on her tail. The woman paled to an icy white shade, her lovely blue eyes widening in horror at the fearful creature holding her in its iron-hard grasp.
In the meantime, Raynor was in the fight of his life. William was powerful, and they’d gotten in equal exchange of blows. The other male vampire jumped him from the back, but sweeping his arm backward with force, he knocked the fellow to the floor. While that one appeared momentarily stunned, Raynor let loose with a barrage of pummels to William’s stomach.
Stumbling backward, the leader paused to catch his breath, and he took the opportunity to quickly check on Briana. By God, she was magnificent! The blonde vampire was being held above the floor like a wiggling morsel of food, ready for the snake goddess to devour. Her short hair stood out, like it was electric-charged, giving her the appearance of a hooded cobra. He didn’t have time to let his thoughts wander further; William pounced on him again and he heard stealthy footsteps behind him.
The snakewoman shook the nasty creature in her grasp until her eyes practically popped from her head. Then, moving in agonizingly slow motion, she drew her into a tight embrace and bent her neck to the side. Drawing her lips back to their fullest, she stared into the vampire’s terrified face just before sinking her fangs into her shoulder.
Briana/snakewoman did not suck blood into her mouth like the female vamp had done; instead she pumped venom from her impressive canines into the shifter. The woman struggled feebly for a few seconds, but then her body slumped when the poison hit her system, paralyzing her. Only then did she lower the blonde to the ground and stretch her out along the cold earth. Slithering over her form like a lover, the snakewoman took her time and pumped minute sluices of venom into the bites she ejected along the vampire’s entire body.