by Kate Hill
Her smile faded. “One of the other girls wanted to switch with me. I thought you’d be surprised.”
“I am.”
“I meant as in happy.”
Disdain pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. He kissed her hair. “I am happy.”
The need for silver faded a bit now that she was in his arms, but his feelings of guilt were stronger than ever.
“Are you all right?” she asked, stroking his back.
“Yes. I was about to take a shower. Care to join me?”
“I’d love to.”
Alana followed Disdain into the bathroom, trying to shake off the feeling that she’d annoyed him by showing up unexpectedly.
She watched him turn on the shower faucet and adjust the water temperature.
“Maybe I should go.” She turned away. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
Before she stepped through the door, he grasped her arm. “Please stay.”
She gazed into his eyes, wishing she could read his mind. As usual, his guard was up. Did the man ever relax?
“Stay,” he repeated, cupping her cheek and tilting her face toward his.
He kissed her, his warm lips moving gently, soothing yet tempting her.
Alana’s lips parted to accommodate his probing tongue. Instinctively, she slipped her arms around his neck. His wrapped around her waist, pressing her close to his lean, hard body. One of his hands strayed to her buttocks. He stroked and squeezed the globes while his tongue thrust against hers.
Whimpering with pleasure, Alana closed her eyes and enjoyed his kiss and touch. His erection swelled, pushing against the barrier of their clothes.
Slowly, he broke the kiss and nuzzled her neck.
Alana’s hands slid down and fumbled to unfasten his pants. When she finally unzipped them, she was thrilled to find he wasn’t wearing underpants. His cock filled her waiting hands. Smiling with pleasure, she stroked it, savoring its hardness and the texture of veins beneath the velvet skin. She caressed him and he grew even bigger in her grasp.
Disdain’s tongue ran along the side of her neck while at the same time he slipped off her dress, allowing the silk to pool at her feet. Steam from the shower filled the small bathroom, wrapping them in its warmth.
Once more he covered her mouth in a kiss that robbed her of all thoughts except for how much she wanted him. His low growl of vampiric passion made her quiver with need.
Grasping her shoulders, he plunged his tongue deeper into her mouth, exploring each and every inch of it. Panting slightly, he pushed her away.
“Finish undressing,” he ordered, his fiery gaze fixed on her.
She obeyed, unable to look away as he also shed his clothes. Seconds later, they were once again wrapped in each other’s arms. Disdain tugged her toward the shower and they stepped inside, the hot water drenching their skin.
Positioning himself behind her, Disdain grasped her hands and placed them against the wall, gently nudging her close enough to it that her nipples brushed against the tile.
Memories of the time she’d pleasured herself in the shower drifted through her mind. Her pulse skipped and she arched backward, rubbing against him while at the same time stimulating her nipples against the tile.
“Sexy vixen,” Disdain growled against the side of her neck.
Licking and kissing her shoulder, he snaked his arm around her waist. His fingers stroked her pubic hair and dipped between her legs before rubbing her clit.
“Ah!” Alana moaned with pleasure, leaning more heavily against the wall.
Releasing her hair from its clip, he allowed the wet tendrils to drape her like a veil before brushing them aside and covering the back of her neck with kisses. His hands glided over her stomach and ribs. He kissed his way down her spine. Finally reaching her buttocks, he kissed and licked them, too.
For a moment, Alana thought her legs might collapse, but he stood quickly and turned her to face him.
“Jump up,” he said.
She obeyed, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Supporting her buttocks, he eased her against the wall. Alana squirmed a bit as he adjusted their position until his cock slid inside her.
“Oh, shit,” she panted, tightening her grip on him.
He chuckled. “Is that good or bad?”
“Good. Oh, yes, it’s good.”
Using his hands and arms to rock her, he flexed his knees and thrust. Alana gasped. Between their fervor and the heat of the water, her entire body was aflame.
Their pounding heartbeats filled her ears and the scent of their desire encompassed her. Any second she was going to come and by the sound of his ragged breathing, he would be right behind her.
“Disdain! Oh, Disdain!” she cried, exploding in orgasm.
He grunted, his body straining, and came. When he’d finished, Alana released her hold on him and he lowered her carefully to the floor. Neither made an effort to pull away from the other. They stood for several moments, wrapped in each other’s embrace, enjoying their closeness and the sensation of hot water pouring over them.
Chapter Eight
The following night after class, Alana reluctantly said goodbye to Disdain before leaving for Mel’s birthday celebration. Several of Mel’s friends had been planning this girls’ night out for over a month.
“I’ll miss you.” She slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
Though by now everyone at Burgundy Peak knew they were lovers, she’d waited until her classmates left the basement before initiating the embrace.
He responded with a gentle stroking of his tongue against hers before breaking the kiss. “Have fun tonight.”
“Are you going to miss me?”
He stared at her, his brow furrowed.
Aghast, she tried to pull away from his embrace. “If you feel that way about it…”
Disdain refused to let her go. “Of course I’m going to miss you.”
“Sure. That’s why you looked at me like I had two heads when I asked --”
He silenced her with another kiss. Entangling his fingers in her hair, he held her face gently against his until she stopped struggling and relaxed in his arms.
Slowly, he moved his lips from hers and whispered in her ear, “I honestly didn’t mean I wouldn’t miss you. It’s been a long time since I’ve been with someone like you and I’m out of practice on the correct response to such questions.”
She laughed and shook her head. “There is no correct or incorrect response. You’re not teaching a class. Just tell me how you feel sometimes, that’s all.”
“Sometimes that’s easier said than done.”
“One of these days you might trust me enough to tell me why.”
“I do trust you. Probably more than anyone I’ve ever known.” He held her gaze with such intensity that she didn’t doubt him. “Go on before the others leave without you.”
After kissing him once more, she left the basement, already counting the minutes before they’d be together again.
* * *
Alana had a wonderful time that night. Dechrista and Marie were at the party, and Mel’s creator, Sue, also joined them. After having dinner in one of the city’s best restaurants, they’d enjoyed several hours in a hotel suite with some of Burgundy Peak’s best donors. Though Alana enjoyed donors’ blood, she longed to taste Disdain’s. The more deeply she cared for him, the more she desired to share with him the most intimate and natural behavior among vampires. The man had too many secrets. When would he confide in her?
Before leaving the hotel, the entire group enjoyed a decadent chocolate-cherry cake.
The women had just arrived in the foyer of Burgundy Peak and were chatting before going their separate ways when Onan called Alana and Mel aside.
“What is it?” Mel asked.
“Disdain has been injured. He’s in Master Zigor’s chamber.”
Alana felt as if her heart momentarily stopped beating. “Oh, God. Is he all right?”
; “I believe so.”
“Come on.” Mel grasped her arm, tugged her through the club’s main floor, and up the steps leading to Zigor’s private rooms.
On her way up the stairs, dozens of horrible thoughts buzzed through her mind. How badly was Disdain wounded? How did it happen?
She released a breath of relief when she stepped into the fire-lit chamber and found Disdain seated on a chair in front of the hearth, Ash and Zigor nearby, both wearing bloodstained plastic gloves. While the ancient Master finished applying bandages to Disdain’s chest, the younger male gathered bloody rags and a bowl of red-tinged water.
“Are you all right?” Alana hurried to Disdain. Standing behind his chair, she carefully slipped her arms around his neck.
“I’m fine.”
“What happened?” Mel asked.
“We ran into hunters,” Ash said.
Fear darted through Alana. She pressed her cheek against Disdain’s. “More hunters? What are you? Some kind of magnet for those people?”
“It was my fault,” Ash said. “I came here tonight and asked if he’d help me get some practical training outside of Burgundy Peak. There were a few techniques I wanted to work on --”
“You did well, by the way,” Disdain added.
“Thanks. I thought everything was going fine --”
“Wait a minute!” Alana snapped. “I want to know what happened with the hunters.”
“We went to Jersey for a change of scenery and crossed paths with a group of them who were giving a novice and her human companion trouble. We intervened and had the situation under control until the novice made a stupid move and nearly got a silver arrow through the heart. If Disdain hadn’t knocked her aside and taken the shot --”
“Are you crazy?” Alana snapped. “You could have been killed!”
“I’m fine.” He grasped her hands, squeezing them tenderly.
Zigor placed the last piece of tape across Disdain’s bandaged chest and straightened. Plastic snapped as he removed the gloves and tossed them into a trash bucket.
The Master of Burgundy Peak stared hard at Disdain who seemed not to notice. “I’m surprised hunters managed to strike you at all.”
“None of us are gods, you know,” Disdain snapped.
“Now that you’re taken care of and we have complied with your demands that we not have any physical contact with your blood, I want answers to some questions,” Zigor said.
“I’m sure you do.”
“Why do you seem no worse for wear after sustaining a wound to your chest inflicted by a silver arrow while after an arm injury you were nearly incapacitated?”
“Whether you believe it or not, the arm injury was worse. You didn’t see it since it had already been tended by the time you found out about it.”
“Worse than this?” Ash wrinkled his nose, holding up an arrow made of pure silver from point to stem, almost completely covered in blood. Alana’s legs weakened when she imagined how deeply the weapon had been embedded in Disdain’s flesh.
“The injury should have been excruciating.”
Disdain snorted. “I assure you it was.”
“When it happened you scarcely seemed to notice,” Ash stated, his green eyes narrowed in thought. “Any other vampire I know with this piece of silver wedged in his chest would have been in far more pain than you seemed to be.”
“I’m very old and can handle pain quite well. You of all people should understand that, Zigor.”
For a long moment, Zigor held Disdain’s gaze. “I do, but I also know you’re hiding something. Why did you insist upon neither of us touching your blood, just like you feared Alana had touched it on the night you passed out? And don’t give me any nonsense about silver infecting a vampire’s blood so that others of our kind can’t touch it.”
“It’s not nonsense.” Disdain stood, glaring at Zigor, not caring in the least that Burgundy Peak’s Master was several inches taller. “I have seen it happen.”
“Well I haven’t,” Zigor stated, his expression as stubborn and angry as Disdain’s. “But I did sense that you have genuine concerns about your blood being hazardous and I demand to know the real reason.”
“You demand?” Disdain laughed humorlessly and Alana winced, expecting a terrible fight to break out between the two ancients. No one ever refused or mocked Master Zigor without paying the price.
“You will tell me the truth or you will leave Burgundy Peak without the second half of your fee. With scarcely a week left before the students are tested and your class ends, it would be a waste of their time and yours.”
“Passing on my knowledge is not a waste of time, regardless of whether or not I’m paid for it,” Disdain replied calmly though his eyes shot sparks of rage.
“Then for your students’ sakes, answer my question.”
“I am under no obligation to explain my personal life to you, but for the benefit of those I’ve agreed to teach, I will tell you this. Due to an unfortunate incident in my past, my blood is harmful to other vampires. It is like poison. I cannot even accept the pleasure of a bite. Is that enough for you to gossip about?” Disdain glared at Zigor, then at Ash, Mel, and even Alana in turn.
It hurt her to think he considered her no different than the others and thought she might be tempted to spread rumors about him.
“I’m sure you can trust the four of us not to gossip,” Mel stated.
“I’ve learned no one can be trusted. Now, Zigor, unless you have more questions, I would like to retire for the night. That is, if you want me to finish the classes. If not, I shall leave directly.”
“I have many questions, however I believe you have given me sufficient information to allow the classes to continue for the final week. Whether or not I will allow you back after that has yet to be decided. Regardless of my decision, you can be certain what we have discussed will not leave this chamber.”
His jaw visibly clenched, Disdain strode out of the room and down the stairs.
Once he’d gone, Ash said, “I’m not sure why he’s secretive, but I might have misjudged him a bit. He’s a miserable bastard, but he didn’t hesitate for a second before taking that silver arrow to protect a vamp he didn’t even know. That has to count for something.”
Such a selfless act didn’t surprise Alana. She’d sensed all along that Disdain wasn’t as horrible as he pretended to be.
After a moment, Mel asked, “What happened to the hunters?”
“We didn’t kill them, but called for Master Zigor. When he searched their minds, he found they were part of a group of local hunters with whom he has an arrangement.”
Mel’s brow furrowed. “You only work out deals with non-zealot associations.”
“Yes, but these men broke away from their mother group and have been acting on their own against all vampires, not just ones out to harm mortals. I allowed the group to punish their own, but warned them if another unprovoked attack should occur, we will kill without waiting to question.”
Shivering, Alana listened to the conversation, part of her terrified by the thought of hunters nearby while another part of her ached because of what she considered Disdain’s rejection.
“Are you all right?” Mel asked, resting a hand on Alana’s shoulder.
“Yes. I’m going to my room. See you later.”
Instead of retiring, Alana walked to Disdain’s door and knocked sharply.
“Come in.”
She stepped inside. He stood in the bathroom door, but she scarcely looked at him. Instead, she walked to the top dresser drawer where she kept a change of clothes, several lacy nightgowns, and a few other personal belongings for when she spent the night.
“What are you doing?”
“Leaving.”
“I suppose that’s for the best. I should have been honest with you about my blood.”
She spun, angry and hurt. “This has nothing to do with your blood. It has to do with you categorizing me with the other assholes around here who talk about you be
hind your back. And by the way, Disdain, it’s not just you they talk about. They jump on just about any piece of gossip they can sink their fangs into. What’s more, if you weren’t such a fucking jerk, people might be less apt to rip you up.”
His expression hardened, like it had always appeared when they’d first met. She wasn’t accustomed to that steely look any longer, and it chilled her more than she wanted to admit.
“Whatever the reason, it’s better that you leave now. This has been an amusing little diversion, but in a week I’ll be gone and that will be the end of it.”
God. Could he drive the stake in any deeper?
“Nice to know I meant nothing to you.” She headed for the door, but in two strides he grasped her arm. “Let me go.”
“No.”
Snarling with fury, she threw her belongings on the floor and shoved him full in the chest, forgetting about his injury.
He drew a sharp breath, his face momentarily tensing with pain.
Some of her anger drained away and she reached for him. “Oh, God, I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right. I deserved it.”
“No, you didn’t. Let me see. Are you bleeding again?”
He caught her wrists before she could touch him. “I’m fine. I… I’m sorry, Alana.”
Before she could react, he pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her hair.
“You mean more to me than you realize, but you’re better off without me.”
“Why?” She tilted her face upward and met his gaze, trying to read his thoughts, but he blocked her out. “Disdain, I don’t care if I can’t drink your blood. That doesn’t mean --”
“It’s not just that. You’re young. Untainted --”
“Untainted? That’s rich. I saw my creator destroyed by hunters, was nearly killed myself --”
“That’s not what I mean. You’ve seen terrible things, but there is a side of life even darker. I know you might not believe that right now, but trust me, I’m not the sort of vampire you want for a long term relationship.”
The expression in his eyes frightened her, but not nearly enough to lessen her affection. “You really intended to stop seeing me once the classes ended?”