“I was too embarrassed,” Astril breathed.
Embarrassed? What other things did you forget to mention to me? What did things you straight up lie about? My trust in you seems to have been you way too blind, Astril! I understand Leena as we aren’t too close anyway, but from you, I expect more! I require more!
“Anyway, I don’t think one feeding is nearly enough to compensate me for using a large part of my forces to descend people into the caverns,” James contested.
“Not just any feeding, the best feeding you’ve ever had. You know… we got a lot tastier over the years,” Leena breathed. She scratched her finger on one of her hidden daggers and smeared the drop of blood over James’ lips. She licked him up over the side of his neck to softly bite his ear, “don’t tell me you aren’t tired of sucking on peasants. You deserve more.”
“Descending people into caverns will require at least forty men on the side plus whoever I need to use to get them there. This could easily require a fifth of my entire force,” James contested.
“You say that now… but what are you going to get? Gold? Some old artifact you will pawn at the black market? Favors that won’t get you anywhere anyway? You can get those from us… but then you will keep going to sleep half hungry and imagine, how great it would be to be satisfied at least for a night? Who knows when’s the next time we come around? This might easily haunt you for decades to come, the memory of us will haunt you every morning as you get down into your coffin,” Leena tossed up. She bit her tongue to draw blood and forcefully kissed James.
He tried to refuse, but the smell of blood got better at him and he caught her mouth hungrily.
“You do taste better than last time… I shall have my feast and, if I am as satisfied as you are promising me, I will do your dirty work for you. We shall specify the details after… I hate to talk business on an empty stomach,” James announced, “open the gate. Ivan! I’m going to feast, entertain the War Leader until I return.”
He grabbed Leena and Astril around the shoulders and led them in. Leena was latched firmly onto him while Astril awkwardly played along. She felt Zerae’s piercing gaze from behind her. She wanted to sink into the ground… or at least teleport far, far away. She had no such option.
Zerae watched James, Astril and Leena disappear in the gate. Another man came. Grey haired bandit, dressed in a long stylish coat.
“I am Ivan, pleasure to make your acquaintance,” he introduced himself, “please follow me.”
“Zerae,” Zerae said and walked to him.
The camp is more packed than I had expected. He has at least four hundred men in here plus some tents seem to be empty, which suggests there are others outside. It looks like he has a horse for every man. These are the richest bandits I have ever heard of.
“Tell me, Ivan, are you not curious to see what’s happening in that tent?” Zerae motioned to the tent where James disappeared in.
“I admit that I am.”
“So, how about we skip the part where we awkwardly stare at each other in a room and go spy on them instead?” Zerae proposed.
“Such actions would be dishonorable,” Ivan remarked.
“Bandit talks about honor? Not what I expected… say, Ivan, would it be dishonorable to not stop me from doing it myself?”
“Not directly, I suppose,” Ivan admitted.
Zerae turned toward James’ tent, “I’m sure you have a good spot to spy on James, why don’t you show it to me?”
“I am afraid I cannot reveal such information,” Ivan rejected.
“Shame.”
It took Zerae less than a minute to find a spot at the side of the tent where she could slide between the leathery walls and get a good view of what’s happening inside. Leena just handed a half-empty potion to Astril, who drank it.
Bloodsucker’s Wet Dream… I guess all the feeding talk wasn’t just a paraphrase for sex. I didn’t believe it for a second, but why else would they drink the blood replenishing potion? Maybe Astril didn’t straight up cheat on me with a shitty bandit.
James threw off his cloak and started removing his armor. Leena grabbed Astril for a strong kiss and started slowly undressing her. Astril seemed to resist for a bit, but soon gave up and started tearing the clothes off from Leena.
What the hell is this about? James is taking off just the upper half of his armor, so… what the hell?
Astril and Leena climbed up on an empty table. They were soon moaning loudly. Zerae focused on James.
His body is clean; it has no scars or tattoos. He is also leaner than I thought, I guess the armor is thicker than it looks like.
James sat on the chair and observed for a bit. Then he exhaled. After he did, his skin turned deathly grey and his eyes started shining bright blue.
The atmosphere around him changed completely. It’s like he instantly turned into a different person. No… not a person. He doesn’t breathe or move in any way. He sits there like a statue. So, this is a vampire.
After a while, James rose from his chair and walked to the girls. He made no sound. Leena was currently on top. As James stood behind her, she postured up and stretched out her neck. Long fangs came out of James’ gums and he sank them into her. A few seconds later he detached. The wounds caused by the fangs closed by themselves. He slid by the side. Astril arched her neck and he bit her as well. Not for long, only for a few seconds. Zerae stared in a mixture of amazement and horror.
Wounds caused by his fangs close by themselves. Astril and Leena look like it hurts, but not nearly enough to stop them from being excited. Why does he drink only for a few seconds at a time?
James kept weaving around the couple, taking sips at opportune moments. This went on for a long while.
It feels like Astril and Leena are slowly getting sleepy. It must be an aftereffect of the bite. The potion is replenishing their blood, so it must be something else that makes them so.
James lifted Leena up and kissed her. He slowly slid by her body until his head reached her crotch. A massive tongue shot out of his mouth and entered Leena. She clenched her thighs around his head and let out a powerful moan.
What’s with the absurdly massive tongue?
James quickly withdrew his tongue, his teeth popped out of his gums and he bit Leena. She shouted out in pain. She struggled, but James held her firm by the hips. It took almost a minute before Leena’s body went limp. James caught her mid-fall and gently put her on the bed. Zerae was speechless. James turned to Astril.
She could see the hesitation in her eyes. James caught her with her arms and kissed her. Zerae was amazed to see Astril slowly ease up into it, all the fear being replaced by excitement. He lay down on the sofa with her. His body entangled to hers while slipping his hand down to her crotch. It was long after that Astril started moaning that he slid down by her body to use the tongue once more. To her credit, Astril’s grunt of pain was swift as he bit her in the crotch. A few minutes later, Astril fell unconscious. James went on to put her to the bed next to Leena.
James went back to the chair and relaxed on it.
“I didn’t think you were the type who likes to watch,” he mused as he turned to where Zerae was hiding.
I guess I wasn’t as stealthy as I thought.
“You really are into some twisted shit,” Zerae remarked as she stepped into the room. She went to a chair close to James and sat down.
“Drink?” he offered.
“No. Let’s talk business. Was this… to your liking?” she asked carefully.
“I am curious, what plan B do you have for the case our deal fails?” he retorted.
“I will find another way to my people down to the caverns. In any case, were my sisters enough to warrant your cooperation?” she pressed.
“One good evening isn’t nearly enough to pay me for the trouble, but suppose it is enough for now. Me and my men are ready to do your bidding in this matter so we can iron out the details at your leisure,” James confessed, “the girls will wake up in an
hour or two and well… I like to combine work with pleasure,” James smiled broadly.
“I can’t resist asking… why did you drink them from their genitalia?” Zerae pried.
“The warmer the blood, the better it tastes. That’s the warmest spot and it just so happens to have a great blood flow, especially under correct circumstances,” he revealed.
“Do you seriously expect me to trust you after this?”
“No, of course not. But you have no choice, War Leader… you have stepped up into the game; now you are beyond the point of return… and you shall dance with us till your life expires,” James mused.
“What the hell do you mean? What game?” Zerae narrowed her eyes.
“The war for the Throne of Heavens.”
“That doesn’t explain shit,” Zerae contested.
“It’s not supposed to. Just know this, the moment the Faye clans got involved in the war between Palai and the demons, you lost the ability to pretend the rest of the world doesn’t bother you, to stay neutral,” James added.
“We are not that weak,” Zerae sneered.
“No, you are not. But, at the end of the day, the Faye clans count what? Fifteen thousand people? Even though you are all more or less powerful warriors, there is nothing you can do if someone like Salazar whips out a hundred-thousand-man army and decides to take your lands. Now I’m not saying he would want to do that, but he is not the only powerful party in the world. You need allies. While teaming up with the Palai Order was the correct choice for this particular war, they are not a good long-term ally as their organization is spread across the entire world. Now they have an army around, so they are useful, but a year from now they might be warring at the other side of the world and hence useless to you. Nevertheless, I have prepared you a little gift,” James revealed and took out a small emblem. It an iron emblem with a rose engraved in the middle, “should you ever find your way around Sirissi Skalla, this should be enough to grant you a meeting with Khalia, the Queen of Souls. I strongly suggest you go talk to her, for it is better to have standing relations before her armies stand at your door.”
“Why would you care?” Zerae inquired.
“I ponder the same question… perhaps it is because I am literally the last of my kind and I have no desire to see the Faye share my people’s fate.”
Zerae took the emblem and stuffed it in her pocket.
“So why should this Khalia interest me? Sirrissi Skalla is far from being the closest large city to our territories,” Zerae pried.
“Now it is… but trust me when I tell you this, the only relevant sides around this part of the world are Salazar and Khalia. The demon princes, Alexander, Gorash and other city lords are all pretty, but when it comes down to it, you are effectively stuck between Salazar and Khalia and shall be forced to pick a side,” James laid out.
“What side are you on?”
“Neither. I am doing my own thing and trying to not piss them off… at least not too much,” James chuckled.
Now, this is getting strange. The Cavern lord acted like a typical lord would, he made a deal for me which had no downsides, little risk and a lot to gain for him. That was alright. The Palai Order was downright suspiciously nice, right from the start. Since then Salazar, indirectly Alexander and now James are being creepily friendly and cooperative. What do I have that Palai Order, Salazar and James want so much?
Nothing. I have nothing like that. But… Beatrice was careful to not mention the number of Faye in the Palai Order outside of their fleet and was downright stonewalling about their ranks. Suppose someone from higher echelons of the Order is a Faye. Someone really highly positioned. Someone who can shape the entire policy of the Order itself. If this were to be the case, then the Order being nice and cooperative is their most natural policy, hell, they would probably be taking Faye alive even if I didn’t talk them at all. In this case, there is an asset I have that Salazar and James apparently want.
“What do you want from Lucas?” Zerae jabbed at James.
“Where does that come from?” James played being clueless.
“Don’t mess with me, vampire. This isn’t about sentiment or feeling kindhearted. You don’t care about the Faye or me, to you, the thing you want from me is access to Lucas. Were I to guess, there is no real way to contact him in the real world and in the Dream World, you would need to grant him access to your dream pocket, which is something neither you nor Salazar can do because you cannot afford him accessing your memories,” Zerae pressed.
“Let’s just say someone dear to me fucked up beyond what a few large favors could fix. Now… to repair the irreparable, I need to turn to the Dreamwalker himself. Humiliating, yes, but sometimes one must swallow own pride to get things done,” James admitted.
“Why doesn’t the person do it by itself?” Zerae inquired.
“Because she is very bad at swallowing her pride. Now, is there anything more I can do for you, War Leader?”
Ahhhh… yesssss… the feeling of power is irreplaceable. It’s the most intoxicating feeling I have ever had. Ruler of Xona and the last vampire are trying hard to get in my good favor. I have spent my entire life hunting for titles and recognition, yet I have never felt nearly as powerful as I do now. To hell with the matrons, I can do better. In fact, I am not sure they could as much as secure a meeting with Salazar. I really owe Lucas more than I could have ever imagined.
“What can you tell me about the Dreamwalker? At this point, it is beyond obvious that he is way more than what he makes himself to be. After all, it is hard to not notice that both you and Salazar talk exclusively about him, not about the Order,” Zerae asked.
“Absolutely nothing. He will tell you himself if he feels like, but I am not willing to sink my relationship with him by spilling any of his secrets,” James replied calmly.
“That’s exactly what I expected. Second question, how did you know we would appear here? I don’t think it is a coincidence that you have a fort built straight next to the chasm I need to use,” Zerae continued.
“Jack Carlyle sometimes works with my… organization, it wasn’t hard to put the rest together,” James admitted.
“Alright, James, I have a mission for you. Worley Williams, one of the Storm pirates captains. Dreamwalker, and therefore I, need him dead. Secondly, I shall leave Astril and Leena behind. I need them to stay out of trouble until my return,” Zerae commanded.
“Very well, I shall see to the pirate’s demise. I suppose you are going to see the Queen of Souls,” James observed.
“Of course, I am. Tell Leena to enjoy the vacation; she’s earned it and tell the lying whore to go fuck herself with a cactus. Until next time,” Zerae breathed and rose.
“Have fun.”
No fear, no pain, no weakness. Such is the code of the Faye. She may not have intended it, but if there is one thing my mother taught me by example, it’s that pride leads to weakness. I shall not repeat her mistakes, not anymore. James’ advice was spot on. I would be a fool to ignore it.
“Actually, one more thing… how much can you do with your tongue?” Zerae tossed up.
James opened his mouth and his tongue came out. It stretched all the way to the table, grabbed the bottle, lifted it up, refilled his glass and brought it to his hand.
“I’ve got a long journey ahead; I suppose I could use a few orgasms. No teeth,” Zerae smiled as she took off her pants and sat back down on the chair, spreading her legs. James downed the glass, walked up to her and then knelt in front of her.
Nnnnhhhh… no wonder men pursue power… aaaahhhhh… this feeling is worth dying for.
35
Luna
“Why are we here, again?” Raven asked with a bit of confusion. They marched for the whole day, took a short rest and now they were observing a small village in the middle of the night.
“To assassinate Samuel Sachwell, one of the Storm Pirates captains,” Luna revealed.
“I meant in general. Why am I here with you and you
r company instead of Lucas and Zoey? Because this looks like something I should be doing with Lucas,” Raven pried.
I need to prepare to see Miranda, for which I need money. Since I am piss poor until I get to a branch of Bank of Xona, I need to get it somehow and well, it would take too long to steal as much as I need from random thefts.
“I don’t know; maybe he wants some private time with Zoey, so he sent us to do his dirty work in his stead,” Luna countered.
“That doesn’t sound likely,” Raven refused.
“Well then ask him when we get back!” Luna exclaimed, exasperated.
“If you two are done bickering, I have the plan ready,” Sgt. Red interrupted them.
They both turned to him.
“We have two goals. First is to kill the pirate bastard, second is to steal his treasury. There isn’t any good spot for them to hide it in the village, so we expect it to be on their boat. There are three steps to the plan. Step one is me taking the company to steal the treasure, while you two create a distraction in the village to cover us. Step two is you two running the fuck away once we are done and I give you the signal. Step three is all of us setting up an ambush to kill the pirate when he’s pursuing us to get the gold back. We will need about eight minutes to get the chest, give or take one. The regroup point will be in the forest, two miles east, you will take the northern gate and turn east after a mile on the road. I’ve sent two squads to fortify it and set up the ambush and will have men ready by your escape route to set the ambush up,” Sgt. Red laid out.
“That’s surprisingly detailed,” Raven breathed.
“Why would it be surprising?” Luna shot back instantly.
“Well… let’s just say the plans I had undergone recently were a bit more… crude,” Raven revealed.
“Lucas ever told you the plan? That doesn’t happen very often,” Sgt. Red smirked.
“Not even half of it… anyway, let’s do this. Tell us when we should start,” Raven ordered.
“Few minutes, get ready,” Sgt. Red commanded and returned to the company.
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