Captured By The Warriors

by Daniella Wright

  “As sweet as you’re being, I think we’re the slightest bit off track.” I tease, and he offers me a reproachful smile.

  “I’m just…” He trails off, looking rather uncertain of himself. I’m struck by the sudden desire to know what he’s struggling to say, but he abruptly thrusts me once more. I squeal in shock, feeling my walls clenching around his length. He groans, and I bury my face in his shoulder as he rocks in a steady rhythm against me. I can’t help but mewl helplessly as he hits all the right spots, as if he has known me for the near eternity he has likely been alive. Now that I’m in the right state of mind, it seems as if we were made to fit together, two pieces of the same strange puzzle. My sensitivity is shooting through the roof, and my body quakes fiercely with every swift thrust. The sensations rock me to my core, and if I thought I couldn’t be more aroused, his strained whispers of my name smash that theory to bits. His lips find my neck again, and I’m not initially unsure if it’s simply force of habit. Instead of biting me, however, he very gently flicks his tongue to where I’m marked before exhaling a puff of air against it. I shudder, desperately crying out his name. He continues his assault on my neck, and I writhe against him. I quiver helplessly, gripping his shoulders in shuddering ecstasy. He whispers against my neck and at first I can not make out the words. Then, I can make out one simple statement. “Come for me, baby,” he whispers. All at once, my peak washes over me, and I feel him hilt himself inside of me. He presses his entire body flush to mine, and gently bites my shoulder. I can feel myself milking him for all he is worth, and he spills his essence deep within me. My head lolls back, and we rest in that position for a long moment, locked in a simple embrace. I’m almost ready to ask him for round two when the slamming of the club door jolts me away from him. I fix my dress, eyes wild as I stare at the woman who had intruded on our intimate moment.

  “Janine…? Oh my god, Janine! It is you!” Crissy cries out, rushing towards me. I can sense Edmund’s unease, and before I can try to defuse the situation, Crissy is going on some tangent. “Your parents have been worried to death. The college has been handing out missing posters, everyone thought… we thought you were dead! Oh my god…” She trails off, bursting into sobs as she throws her arms around me. Before I can speak, a sudden rush of despair that is not my own washes over me. I stiffen, but before I can stop him, Edmund is bolting away into the night.

  “Edmund!” I cry out, prying myself free of Crissy’s grip. He’s moving fast, impossibly fast, and as I move to bolt after him, the sensation of his presence drops away entirely. Where I had felt him lingering on the edge of my senses for what seemed an eternity, there was no longer any hint of him at all. “Edmund!” I scream into the night. Crissy is trying to pursue me, but I ignore her, darting in the direction of his home. Our home. Crissy’s cries of my name fade into the distance as I move at an inhuman speed. I slam through the front door of our home, expecting to feel some semblance of his presence there. There is nothing. Inexplicably, heartbreakingly, I can’t feel him at all. It’s as if… it’s as if he wanted to escape me, but I don’t understand why. Was he afraid I would sell him out to my friend? Did he not understand that I was past being angry at him? Despairing thoughts flood my brain, but I know what I have to do. I have to find him. I simply do not know how.

  For the next week, as night washes over the city, I slip out of our shared home to find the man I have realized my feelings for all too late. It’s been days since I’ve seen him, and I’m not certain he is even still alive. As alive as a vampire can be, in any case. I’ve combed the entirety of the town three times over. No matter where I go, his presence remains absent. Though I thought I had known emptiness before meeting Edmund, I realize I had no idea how utterly desolate I could feel.

  I see images of my own face on missing person posters as I explore the town by night, and though I realize it’s truly not her fault, I can’t help but curse Crissy. If she hadn’t interrupted our moment, perhaps I could have explained my feelings to Edmund.

  As I hopelessly return to our shared home for the night, I slump in the front lawn, burying my face in my hands. The sun will rise in scarce hours, and I can’t afford to lose track of time on my hunt for the man. There are days I have been tempted to simply let the sun take me, but I know that will accomplish nothing. In spite of the rationality of that thought, I can’t help feeling as if everything from this step forward is pointless. How long can I fruitlessly search for Edmund? How can I possibly find him if he does not want to be found? What seems the reality of the situation is slowly beginning to settle on my shoulders, and I wonder if he simply got what he wanted and left. It made no sense, seemed too prolonged a process just to take advantage of me. At any time during my stay in his home, he could have easily overpowered me and gotten what he apparently wanted. I just don’t understand. Sobs shake my body as I realize that there is nothing for me to understand. Edmund captured my heart, had his fill of my body, and now he is gone. Allowing the sun to take me is sounding more appealing by the second.

  As tears stream down my face, I feel the slightest tingling in the back of my mind. It’s a feeling that’s only vaguely recognizable, a feeling I’m too desolate to try and place. Suddenly, I’m jolted with a sense of awareness. It’s impossible. After all this time, it couldn’t be… yet, it very much was. I draw my hands away from my face, looking into the distance where my mind is telling me to look. His body quakes where he stands, and he seems to echo my own despair back at me. I blink the bleariness from my eyes, and he steps towards me.

  “Janine…” He murmurs, like some soft spoken prayer. All at once, I am on my feet rushing towards him. He hesitates, but obligingly takes me into his arms as I slam into him. It seems he had not expected the sheer force of my embrace, and I nearly knock him off his feet as I bury my face in his chest. He wraps his arms uncertainly around me, and I find myself repeating his name in that same reverent tone he had used. He continues to shake, and our combined despair continues to wash over me in waves. I draw my head back just slightly, tilting my face up to consider his anguished expression. In spite of myself, I can feel the despair that clutches me slowly giving way to anger.

  “Where the hell have you been!?” I shout angrily, pushing him away from me. He stumbles back, obviously not having expected the shove. I round on him, anger and misery mingling to spill ever bitter tears down my cheeks. “You just take what you want and leave? You just… you just… Edmund, how could you leave me alone after all we’ve been through!? You have to have known I was looking for you. I searched for days.” I blurt angrily. For the first time since I have met him, the sheen of tears glimmer in his dark eyes.

  “I ruined your life…” He murmurs softly, and at first I simply can’t believe what I’m hearing.

  “You… ruined my life?” I repeat incredulously, and he chokes out a sob, drawing his arms around himself. “You ruined my life!? Are you serious Edmund?” I demand, stepping towards him and grabbing him by the chin.

  “Your friends… your family. Everyone who loved you, and who you loved in turn… I stole you away.” He gasps out, and I meet his gaze, understanding lancing me through the heart.

  “That’s why you left. You… you…” I trail off, and he braces himself as if I am about to strike him. I brush the tears from his cheeks, drawing him into my arms and burying my face flush against his neck. “You’re an idiot.” I murmur softly. He hesitantly wraps his arms around me, as if afraid to touch me.

  “Janine-” He begins, but I cut him short.

  “Edmund, I’m not going to lie. You absolutely ruined my life. You took away everything I was striving for. You took away my chances at school, a degree, a career. You took me from my friends, my family… I hated you for it.” I mutter, and he chokes back a sob.

  “I’m sorry.” He blurts, and I chuckle softly, tangling a hand in his hair.

  “But that’s not why I’m angry. I’ve forgiven you for that. In fact… I rejoice in it. Because the life I had be
fore I met you was a meaningless one. I may not have a heartbeat now, but when we were together… I’ve never felt more alive in my life.” I murmur, and he tenses in my grasp. “I’ve come to a realization in the days I’ve been looking for you. I thought you were gone forever, or worse.” I continue, drawing away from him to look him in his deep brown, almost black eyes. He searches my expression, presumably for some crack in my armor. I suppose what I’m telling him doesn’t make much sense, but I’ve never been so certain of something in my life.

  “What are you saying, Janine?” He inquires hesitantly, reaching up to palm my cheek.

  “What I’m saying is… I love you, Edmund. I’m head over heels in love with you.” I say, biting back a laugh at the sheer disbelief he meets my gaze with. He opens and closes his mouth, looking much like a fish out of water.

  “You… wha?” He says, ever the picture of eloquence. I brush my thumb against his bottom lip, reveling in the softness of his skin. Reveling in everything about him.

  “You shouldn’t apologize for changing me. I won’t accept that apology. Being changed is perhaps the greatest thing to ever happen in my life, because it brought me to you.” I pause, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to his lips. Just as he begins to reciprocate, I pull away, meeting his gaze. Then, I slap him with as much force as I can muster. “You should apologize for leaving me and making me worry about your bloodsucking tail for this past week!” I shout, throwing my hands up in exasperation. He touches his fingertips to his cheek, staring at me through wide eyes. For a long moment, neither of us say anything more. Then, he begins to laugh. It starts as soft snickers, shifting into uncertain chuckles before blooming into full, unrestrained guffaws. In spite of myself, I find myself beginning to laugh as well. He wraps his arms around me, resting his chin atop the crown of my head as our bodies shake with irrational laughter. I imagine we must both look utterly insane, but the anger I felt at being abandoned is being washed away with sheer joy at being in his arms again. It seems ages before we regain our composure. He tightens his grip on me, his body continuing to shake with barely repressed giggles before he manages to compose himself enough to speak.

  “I’m so sorry I made you worry.” He breathes, and though the situation could quickly turn serious again, a sense of calm washes over me. He draws away just slightly, worrying his bottom lip with his fangs. He hesitates for a long moment before speaking earnestly. “I love you too, Janine. But I’m pretty sure you already had that figured out…” He murmurs uncertainly. I smile mischievously, brushing my fingers to his cheek. He predictably winces, and I can’t help but snort.

  “Well, you did let me get away with slapping the taste out of your mouth. I figure you must be a little sweet on me at least.” I muse, and he rolls his eyes in amusement.

  “I’m letting you get away with it for now. We’ll properly discuss your punishment later.” He retorts. I smile knowingly, kissing the tip of his nose. I consider making a snide remark regarding the punishment I had yet to receive for destroying his irreplaceable furniture, but I find myself getting lost in his eyes again instead.

  “What now?” I murmur, and he steers me towards the house. I realize there are scarce moments before the sun rises again. Life goes on, as it invariably tends to do.

  “Ah, my dear. We have the rest of eternity to concern ourselves with what happens next.” He hums. I grin as he presses his lips to my own, the gravity of the situation settling comfortably within me. An eternity doesn’t sound bad at all.

  BLURB

  Janine Rigby is a young and vivacious woman, who is filled with the exuberance of life. She harbors her share of hidden insecurities, but hey, who doesn’t? She has her friends at the Ivory Fang to sweep her worries away, and where the alcohol comes short, the dancing is sure to keep the pace. However, when her dangerously fun night turns simply dangerous, Janine finds out that she has much more to worry about than petty insecurities. Turns out, there’s more to fear than ending up alone. Her newest fear just so happens to have the darkest eyes she’s ever seen, and a particularly killer smile. There’s no doubt, it’s high time that Janine faces her fears head on. This time, she’s resolved to do just that. Now, all there’s left to do is hope she hasn’t bitten off more than she can chew; lest she end up bitten herself. Sounds easy enough. Right…?

  Invasor

  ~ Bonus Story ~

  An Erotic Secret & Forbidden Alien Romance

  “...I reacted by stepping back quickly out of the range of her lips. The Princess was very confused.

  “Princess, I’m sorry, but you are my charge. It would not be appropriate for us to develop feelings like that for each other. I’m sure your father would forbid it. He might even react… um… well, hastily to say the least.”

  I don’t understand the humans. Their views, beliefs, their feelings, or emotions. In fact, I hold their entire species in contempt most of the time. But I have to study them. I have to learn their behavior, their ways, and I have to try to fit in amongst them. I look human, I have learned to act human, but I am nothing of the sort…

  My name is Cahn. I am from the place the humans refer to as The Other World. My race has been at war with the humans for centuries, trying to take over Earth and claim its rich natural resources for our own.

  I'm not sure why I have been sent here. But I have done well in adapting and fitting in. In fact, I am a soldier of high rank in the King's Army. For the past six years, he has assigned me as guardian and protector of Princess Reah as she goes from village to village keeping the people united and giving them hope that the war will soon be over.

  But now we have been called home. I’m not sure why and I’m not sure now.

  I don't understand what is happening to me, but the moment I returned and I laid eyes on Tarin I knew that I was no longer who I was before. When I last saw her she was a child of thirteen, but now she is a young woman six years later. And she is the most beautiful and perfect angel I have ever seen. I want her… I need her… I have never felt this way about any human, but I know that I can’t help myself around her.

  And she feels the same about me. We have fallen so deeply in love, but it is so forbidden… much more than she even knows.

  For the Other Side has come for the Kingdom. And they will stop at nothing to destroy it. I find myself torn in loyalty between two worlds at war and a dedication and a need to possess a love I never knew I could have.