Vampire's Retribution

by Anna Santos

“Violet,” he called me in ecstasy, kissing my lips and holding my hips higher. I arched my back as the orgasm spread gently from the inside out. It washed over me in soft waves of pleasure, making me lose my breath and gasp for air. My body quivered as my limbs spasmed and my core convulsed around his shaft. When I stopped moaning and quivering, I clenched him harder, contracting my inner walls. He lost it, releasing his pleasure, and I enjoyed every single moan and every single grimace his face made with his orgasm. He was stunning. We were beautiful together.

  Before he collapsed over me, he held me tight and made it so I dropped over him. Resting his back against the mattress, I placed my head on his chest. He was always careful not to hurt me.

  “Are you already tired?” I teased him because I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face and I wanted us to talk. I enjoyed talking while having sex, at least with him I did. But I liked even more when we talked after. I didn’t know that I could share so much of myself with someone else.

  “Do I look tired?”

  “I don’t know. You are smiling and trying to catch your breath.”

  “I’m enjoying bliss.” He smiled again, and I snuggled my nose on his skin. “Do you want to sleep?”

  “I just want to stay by your side, listening to your heartbeat and teasing the hell out of you,” I answered.

  He chuckled. “You want to talk,” he mumbled, caressing my hair.

  I tilted my head up to stare at him. He was smiling with closed eyes. It was unfair for me to move and ruin the moment. “No, I’m just happy in your arms. Just wake me up when you want to leave,” I said, caressing his chest and nestling my body against his.

  “I haven’t slept either. I won’t go anywhere until we both rest.”

  Moving his arm, he grabbed me and put me under the comforter. I grumbled because I didn’t want to move an inch from where I was. Then his body searched for mine, pulling me closer as I moaned against the security of his embrace.

  “You are making it hard for me to ever want to sleep alone again.”

  He chuckled, kissing my head. “You won’t ever need to sleep alone. You won’t ever need to do anything alone. I’m here for you.” His words warmed my heart and soul.

  Mumbling a lullaby, he caressed and cuddled my hair, so I would fall asleep. A long time ago, when I was experiencing the pain of the cleansing, he often sang that song to me to make me feel better. For a long time, it was the only sound that made me feel safe when I was receiving the blood transfusions, and he sat next to me, holding my hand and comforting me. Galvin had told me that it was something his mom used to sing to him, to make him calm down or fall asleep when he was a child. The melody had stayed with him, even if he didn’t remember the words. In that moment, it was the same sound that made me feel extremely safe and loved.

  Galvin had always been there for me, and I’ve never given him the credit for that. People can be extremely blind when it comes to feelings. I was hoping I had cured my blindness and my heart was ready to love someone who truly deserved it.

  25

  ROMANTIC DATE

  THERE I WAS, leaning back in my chair, while playing with the food, and totally caught up in my thoughts. Ewan had taken me out for dinner and we were sitting outside on the terrace of the restaurant, under the beautiful starry night.

  I was wearing a blue, sleeveless, and sexy cocktail dress because we were attending an opera after dinner. It was a short dress, so it showed my legs when I crossed them. Ewan was undressing me with his eyes because of that. I noticed his gaze roaming up and down my body.

  “What are you wearing underneath?” he asked with a raspy voice, impatience floating in his eyes.

  I stared at him, trying to understand if I heard him correctly. “What?”

  “Under that dress, what are you wearing? A corset, some sexy lacy underwear?” He tried to guess.

  I smiled mischievously. “The second choice or maybe,” I teased, trying to play his game, even if my thoughts couldn’t be farther from his, “I’m not wearing anything.” I uncrossed my legs and parted them suggestively.

  His gaze dropped to my lap, lust flashing in his eyes. His tongue licked his lower lip, his eyes trying to peek in. I smirked at his reactions. He was horny and set on taking me to bed. The dinner and the show were just fancy foreplay to make me spread my legs and get him inside my panties. I had asked him for romance and he was delivering it. At least, he thought he was. Too bad I had other plans.

  “Do you like the food?” he asked, playing with the glass of wine.

  “It’s good.”

  “Yet, you have barely touched it. What’s on your mind?”

  “I’m thinking about Sebastien,” I replied so the heat was turned down, and I could ask him about Anastasia.

  “You said he was feeling better.”

  “Yes, but Francesca said there were strange people asking her questions about what happened in his apartment.”

  Ewan’s arched an eyebrow. “Really?”

  “And I thought about what you said about the hunters.”

  “Hum.”

  “What happened to Anastasia? You didn’t tell me what you did to her.”

  “I did nothing to her. We just had a serious conversation and—well, I decided to leave the suite and let her move on with her existence.”

  That was a surprising event. I couldn’t help but to shift on my seat and think about his words. I should be pleased about the breakup. The master leaving the one he turned was a clear sign of trouble in paradise. Yet, the news felt bland to my ears.

  I sipped on my wine before asking, “Where are you going to live now?”

  “I was thinking that since we are dating I could move in with you.” I was glad I was no longer drinking or else the liquid would have left my mouth at a surprisingly fast speed. But that didn’t stop my mouth from opening in awe to his words. I couldn’t conceal how surprised I was, and he was analyzing every reaction of my face and body. “It’s a normal step if we are thinking about making this serious,” he reasoned.

  It could be normal for him, but it sure wasn’t for me! I have been living by myself for more than a century now. Of course, I had talked about moving into Galvin’s house. But it was different. I loved Galvin, and I was getting tired of Ewan. The sexual attraction was fading, and he was getting on my nerves. Still, I wasn’t planning to keep playing with Ewan for much longer. Having him moving in with me was definitely out of the question. I had no intention of sleeping with him, and I sure didn’t want him invading my place.

  “But my place is too small for us, and I’m not going to stay here for long,” I retorted.

  “We can find somewhere else for us to live together, something we both like. Besides, I’m free to follow you anywhere.”

  I had to drink water because my throat was getting extremely dry. Things were escalating quickly, too quickly!

  Pursing his lips, Ewan analyzed my expression, “Don’t you like the idea?”

  “I don’t know,” I answered truthfully. “My parents are extremely traditional about these things. They won’t approve.”

  “Then we just need to get married.”

  I almost choked on my own breathing. “Slow down cowboy! We just met!”

  “True love doesn’t measure time,” he stated. I couldn’t help but to roll my eyes at his words. “Why do I have the feeling that you aren’t taking our relationship as serious as I am? I told you what I feel for you. I told you what I am. I moved out of my home so my daughter would stop meddling in our lives. What more do you want?”

  “Well…” I pondered his words, trying to find a way to calm him down. “I would like to feel safe and be sure that Anastasia isn’t going to hurt anyone else because you are leaving her.”

  “She won’t. We’ve talked, I told her to behave. I’m her master, she has to obey to me.”

  I snorted at his naïve words. “You truly underestimate a woman’s wrath.”

  “She will do what I say. She always does.” His voic
e was serious when he stated those words. I furrowed my eyebrows. God, he’s cocky! He also liked his women submissive and blinded by passion.

  “You will also do what I want when I’m done with you,” he whispered huskily, teasing smirk, but it only sent cold and unwelcome chills down my spine.

  Submissive was not a word that was part of my vocabulary anymore. I knew he liked his girls to be obedient and compliant. He would get mad with disobedience and questioning behaviors. But I was over that, and he would be clearly disappointed.

  “Is that supposed to make me laugh?” I asked with a gruff voice, incapable of concealing my displeased face.

  “God Sarah! Loosen up! You are everywhere but here tonight. I’m trying my best to give you a perfect night, to make you crack a smile, but you seem cold and absent.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, leaning over the table and grabbing his hand in mine. “I’m just tense.”

  “I could help you with that,” he teased, leaning forward and staring at my cleavage. His eyes were glowing as he shared his thoughts, “We could skip the show and go to your place. Light some candles, put a romantic CD, and I could massage you and give you the best night of sex of your life.”

  “Or,” I counteroffered, “We can go watch the show and then talk some more.”

  He lost his smile. “Why are you acting like a damn prude?”

  I leaned back, surprised by his hard words and tense stare. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

  “Every time I mention sex, you get tense and cut me off. It is not like you’ve never done it, is it?”

  “Well, I just want our first time to be special. And you are putting a lot of pressure on me about that. I really don’t like when you keep making sexual advances as if I’m some common whore,” I muttered, speaking low enough that people around us wouldn’t hear, but I knew he would listen to it loud and clear. “It’s like you don’t even care about just spending time with me, so we get to know each other better. Or are you just using this date to get inside my panties?”

  He lost his annoyance rather fast after my accusations. He paled and kept his gaze over my shining eyes. “It’s nothing like that, honey.”

  “It sure looks like it.”

  “Sarah, I’m here opening my heart to you. Telling you that I want to spend my time with you. I also want to move in with you, and you, in return, are acting like you are afraid of commitment. As if you don’t have feelings for me when you said you love me.”

  “Love has nothing to do with the fact that I’m afraid for my life. Besides, you told me we were taking things slow,” I retorted, biting my lower lip, and making my most vulnerable and sad face. “It’s like you aren’t even trying to understand me.”

  “I’m here for you,” he assured, moving his chair closer to mine, alarmed by my breaking-into-tears voice. Then he held my hands in his and looked into my eyes. “You don’t need to be afraid. No one will do you wrong.”

  “And if it had been me that she decided to hurt?”

  “I would rip her head off,” he answered, upset, leaning closer to kiss my forehead. “Baby, I lost you once, I’m not going to lose you again.”

  “What?” I asked troubled by his words. “I’m not your dead wife, damn it, Ewan!”

  “Calm down,” he asked, putting his hands over my shoulders and gazing deeply into my eyes. I was not sure if he was trying to glamor me or not, but I played his game and stopped moving. “No one is saying that. My words came out wrong, okay?” I nodded. “I’m here to protect you. We are going to that show, and I’m going to stop teasing you and making you feel uncomfortable.”

  “I’m dying to go to that show. You know that. I really don’t want to miss it,” I explained, pouting a bit to make my point prevail.

  It was true that I had talked about the show, but I also didn’t want to stay in a closed place alone with him. The show gave me time to think and postpone his sexual advances. He could say whatever he wanted. If he caught me alone, he would try to take me to bed.

  “I know, that’s why I bought the best seats,” he said, smiling and rubbing his thumb on my cheek. “You look really pretty tonight, honey. I can’t take my eyes off of you.” I smiled, pretending to be flattered by his words. I just had to endure a few more hours and I would be rid of him. “Now, give me a kiss and be a good girl and try to have fun. You’ll love the show and I can explain to you all about it,” he mumbled, closing the distance between our lips. I gulped and faked a new smile. His lips brushed mine and then he just pulled away, closed eyes with a painful face. I wondered what was all that about. “I haven’t fed today,” he explained.

  “Are you going to be okay?”

  “Yes, but you smell extremely good and you really turn me on.”

  “How do you normally feed?”

  “Hospital blood bags or enthralling girls to let me suck their necks.”

  “Really?” I asked, pretending to be shocked about it.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you have sex with them?” I asked a rather valid question if I was his girlfriend.

  “No,” he answered, but it took him long enough. Even if he didn’t promptly deny, there was something not entirely true about that. I felt it in my guts.

  “Do you kill them?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Because of the hunters?”

  “Because I have no intention of killing someone without a reason to. I’m a nice vampire.”

  My eyes lingered on his face. “I’m not going to let you bite me.”

  “Why not? You like to read about it.”

  “Yeah, but I kind of am afraid of needles and I don’t like pain.”

  “It won’t hurt. It would be erotic and pleasurable. I can make you…” He stopped talking and just sat back on his chair. It intrigued me. “I said I wouldn’t talk about sex tonight. Let’s just pay the bill and go to the Opera House.”

  “I’m curious now,” I said.

  “About what?”

  “How old are you?”

  He smirked and leaned forward with his blue eyes shining. “How old do you think I am?”

  “One hundred, two,” I tried to guess.

  “A bit more than that.”

  “Why did you want to be a vampire?”

  “Why does anyone want to be a vampire?”

  “To cheat death, to be young forever,” I answered, giving him some options.

  “I wanted to live longer and to stay young because I was in love with someone that wouldn’t get older, and I would die long before her.”

  “A vampire?”

  “An enchantress,” he replied truthfully to my surprise. “She was special. I was madly in love with her. I was young and a bit stupid. It didn’t turn out as I expected.”

  “Why not? She didn’t want you after?”

  “Well, she was killed before I could explain to her what I had done. Our family was destroyed. Our baby girl was taken by vampires. It’s complicated, Sarah. It’s not something to talk about during dinner.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to pry into your personal life.”

  “I’ll eventually tell you everything. We are going to be partners.”

  “Partners?”

  “When I turn you, we will be together for a long time. Don’t you want me to turn you? Don’t you want to stay young and beautiful forever?” He caressed my face.

  “I want to stay with you forever,” I answered, pleasing him with my words and making him kiss me again. It was a soft and tender kiss.

  “It won’t be an easy life.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “You will. What gives humans the ability to care and to treasure the small moments of their lives is that they know they have an expiration date. When we become immortal and we can live longer, we become insensible, our brains don’t react in the same way. We don’t fully appreciate the beauty of life and how precious love can be. There’s just a lot of lust and raw hunger. We cross boundaries and we thin
k we are superior. We have to live with the guilt and endure our ghosts. It isn’t a fairy tale.” I mused about his words. They were extremely philosophical and deep for someone like him. He had changed during the time we were apart. Or maybe he had just changed the speech he used to seduce his prey. “Besides, if you believe the rumor, we are doomed to go to hell when we get killed.”

  “So we just need to stay alive,” I said playfully.

  “Yes, we do,” he agreed, coming closer and kissing me hungrily. He grabbed me behind my neck to plunge his tongue deeper inside my mouth. It felt good, I have to admit that I was a bit high on his scent and on his words.

  I stopped kissing him, holding his head, letting my cheek rest against his cheek so we could calm down. I let my breath steady before letting go of his head. “I don’t want to be late to the show. And everybody is watching us.”

  “They are just jealous because they live pathetic lives,” he whispered, smirking mischievously and getting up with me. “Let’s pay and leave this place.”

  I followed him, after grabbing my purse.

  26

  THE DEAL WITH THE DEVIL

  IT WAS TURNING OUT to be a long and exhausting night. Ewan wanted to talk after the show. We walked home, speaking about the play, the actors, and the plot behind it. He was a literate person, and he was sharing his ideas and knowledge about contemporary opera and the terminology behind the word. I had no other option than to let him come inside my apartment. I had an idea of how to handle the situation, and it consisted of getting him drunk and spiking his drink with a drug that was supposed to knock him cold. If he was sleeping, he wouldn’t be trying to kiss me and take me to bed.

  A couple of glasses of whiskey and Ewan was rambling about his life and old memories, stubbornly awake, groggy, and clingy. We were on the couch, his arms around me, my head on his chest while he talked about his past and answered my questions to keep me happy. That didn’t stop him from staring at my boobs and trying to slip his hand between my legs. It was hard to make him stay still. The damn drug should have been working already. It was dosed to put an elephant to sleep. Ewan’s tolerance to it seemed to be rather high.