Seared by Desire

by Jennifer T. Alli

  She turned to look at him, noting that his usually hard features softened as he slept. His jaw was relaxed, his shoulders devoid of the heavy burden he wore. His lips looked even softer in sleep and she couldn’t resist lightly running her thumb over the lower one, testing whether they were as soft as they looked. Her senses told her that she had slept most of the day away, the heat from the sun fading as it set. Lucian would be awake any minute and she doubted he would appreciate her fondling his body as he slept. She pulled her hand away from his soft mouth, counting down the minutes until the sun would be fully gone from the sky.

  When Lucian woke it was to the delightful heat of a body pressed against him and he smiled faintly as his bride’s scent teased his senses. Blood pumped through her body, rich with vitality and the exotic taste that was uniquely hers, it was then he came to the startling realisation that he hadn’t fed in what was going on three nights. Fangs exploded in his mouth and he bolted from the bed, covering his mouth to hide the sight from her.

  “Lucian,” she called softly, unwittingly drawing the monster ever closer to the surface with her kind words and nearness. “Is something wrong?”

  “Nothing is wrong, just get up, get dressed and get out.”

  “I can’t leave you Lucian. We have a deal remember? What happens if I leave and Seraphina comes out? It’s too dangerous.”

  “Isn’t there someway you can tell when she’s coming? Some sort of signal?” It was getting harder and harder not to simply turn and sink his fangs into her neck. He would never have thought it possible but his bride needed protection and all he was doing was endangering her further.

  “She used to tell me when she was about to go off, she used to give me a countdown but I think she’s in a bit of a mood. She didn’t say a word yesterday and look what happened, I turned into a human candle without even a moment’s notice.”

  “A mood?” he repeated the word carefully, certain that he’d misheard her.

  “Yes, she acts like a spoilt child so I think ‘mood’ is a very appropriate word.”

  “It’s a risk we’re going to have to take for a few minutes.”

  “No Lucian, it isn’t. I can wear what I wore yesterday if it means keeping this under control.”

  He threw his hands into the air in exasperation. “You’re impossible.”

  “Maybe, maybe not. I’m whatever the situation calls for.” She was already moving trying to locate her clothes. “And look,” she crowed triumphantly. “The maids have already taken care of the problem. See, a clean new dress.”

  She pulled the long blue garment over her head, relishing the sensation of silk as it rubbed against her skin. Never had she felt such luxurious material against her body and she briefly wondered if they’d made a mistake. Silk was for royalty, for leaders, for those with power, it wasn’t for a simple sword maker like herself. Well Lucian hasn’t said anything and he’s their leader, as long as he says it’s okay then no one will get into trouble. “What do you think?” she spun gracefully, trying to display the best features of the dress.

  Beautiful, Lucian groaned.

  The dress she wore was a light shade of blue, decorated with intricate gold patterns stitched into the fabric. Her eyes were aglow with joy, the rich colour she wore only serving to further highlight the vitality in the vivid orbs. Her skin was flushed with life rather than the heat of her flames and the deep red of her curling hair called to him as though it were the blood he so desperately needed. His gums ached at the reminder, throbbing painfully with each slowing heartbeat. His pulse was weak and so was his body, if he didn’t feed soon, his body would shut down in a frantic attempt to preserve him until sustenance arrived. But it was in that interim, between hunger and unconsciousness, that he was most dangerous, the need to feed bringing the monster beneath his skin ever closer to the surface.

  Scowling, he turned his back to her and dressed quickly, thankful that his fangs had receded. Her hand was back within his the moment he was ready to leave causing his scowl to deepen even as his heart warmed at her actions.

  She really will be the death of me.

  He strode purposefully out of the room, intent on resolving the issue of his troublesome bride, he should have known better. The instant he was out in the corridor he was inundated with requests for assistance, questions about the war effort, encouraged to attend another meeting where Gareth and Russell could air their differences. Time continued to pass and through it all, Sara stayed at his side, her hand never leaving his. The monster was edging closer to the surface with every second he was near her without fresh blood in his veins. The meeting was boring, he’d heard all of their arguments before but as he stood, preparing to calmly tell them what was going to happen, his control slipped, the monster raising its head in anticipation.

  “I’ve had ENOUGH of your petty squabbling!” he shouted, his eyes aglow with a menacing red. With his free hand, he lifted the table from the ground tossing it into the air as he hissed at all those present, his fangs bared, dripping with thirst.

  A moment of stunned silence passed as those gathered tried to make sense of Lucian's actions.

  “You have not fed my Lord.” Russell’s softly voiced words were not a question. There was only one thing that could make Lucian lose his temper so easily. He was so strong, the pillar of their species, that it was often hard to remember that he had weaknesses, that the burdens he bore both internally and from being a leader were so much heavier than anyone could ever imagine. Only one as old as Lucian could lead them, force warring factions to unite, but only one as old as he was as susceptible to the dark urges that filled vampires.

  Lucian's head fell into his hand, shame filling him. “No.”

  “You must feed my Lord,” Gareth added.

  “I am aware of that.”

  “There are humans in the manor that would be more than willing to see to your needs.”

  “I know that too. I would have tried to feed earlier but it seems that nothing can get done around here without my personal input on the matter.”

  “We didn’t know my Lord,” a faceless voice murmured.

  That’s why you’re not leader. I know the feeding patterns of everyone here, if you weren’t so caught up in your own ambitions then you would have realised that I’m famished.

  “Well we know now,” Gareth supplied. “Lord Lucian, please, go and feed.”

  “I will be back as soon as I can.” He moved, readying to leave the room and Sara scrambled from her chair ready to follow him, her hand linking easily with his. “Sara, you can stay here.”

  “No Lucian, this is the most dangerous time. She usually makes an appearance about now; I can’t afford to be away from you. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to interrupt you. I didn’t know you were hungry.”

  And you weren’t meant to.

  “I’m not changing my mind on this Lucian.”

  “Stubborn,” he grumbled under his breath, pulling her quickly from the room and into the corridor.

  His steps were quick, his strides long and Sara’s shorter legs struggled to keep up as he led her through the twists and turns of the corridors to a small brightly lit room. The room was richly decorated with fine wall hangings, thick carpets and a large roaring fire to keep the woman inside the room warm. She stood as soon as Lucian entered, rolling her head from side to side as though in preparation.

  Lucian pulled Sara in behind him, sitting her down on a comfortable cream chaise. “Sit here. I’ll be as quick as I can.”

  “My Lord.” The unknown woman bowed low, pulling her long blonde hair away from her neck and exposing the soft skin to Lucian's gaze.

  Lucian eyed the skin, quickly finding fault. Too pale, he scoffed. And it’s probably not as soft as Sara’s. He could feel his bride’s eyes on him, watching him as he moved and nervousness began to fill him. She’s probably never seen a vampire feed, what will she think of me after this? Though hunger wracked him, his fangs remained small and useless within his mouth;
he couldn’t do this in front of her. She would misinterpret the way he held the woman’s body close to him, might become jealous of the way his mouth moved so sensuously over her skin. No, she had to leave.

  Groaning, he turned back to her. “Sara, I want you to wait outside.”

  “Why? I told you I wouldn’t interrupt.” The words left her mouth though inside she was seething for some unknown reason. Lucian wasn’t hers but she couldn’t help but resent how his eyes had wandered over the other woman’s body, hot and hungry. Why won’t he look at me that way?

  “Sara, I’m not going to ask you again. Please, wait outside. If you feel Seraphina coming then just call out to me and I’ll be out in seconds.”

  She reluctantly admitted that his words made sense. “Fine,” she huffed, clearly unhappy with the new arrangement. She walked slowly out of the room, closing the door softly behind her and leaning against it with a sigh.

  Now that he was alone with the donor, Lucian pulled her body close, instructing his fangs to lengthen so that he could take the sustenance her body ought to provide. His mouth hovered over her skin, his breath touching her skin but his fangs didn’t lengthen. The donor in his arms felt cold against him, the scent of her blood stale in comparison to the woman just outside the door. He could smell the richness of his bride’s blood, could almost imagine the exotic taste of her on his tongue as he moved against her, touching her body to draw out soft moans of satisfaction. Groaning, he thrust the donor away from him, striding out of the door.

  “That was quick,” Sara commented as soon as Lucian exited the room. He grabbed her arm dragging her down the familiar path to the bedrooms and her words died, replaced by splutterings of indignation. He forced her into his bedroom, finally releasing the almost bruising grip he’d had on her arm.

  “Stay here.” He turned to leave but she grabbed him quickly.

  “Why Lucian? What’s going on?”

  “I can’t feed with you nearby.” He began pulling away from her, trying once again to leave.

  “Why? I didn’t say anything. I didn’t do anything. Why can’t you feed with me around? Or if it really comes down to it why can’t you feed from me?” He groaned at her innocently voiced question. “You said you don’t kill as you feed so why not?” She pulled the collar of her shirt to the side exposing her deliciously beautiful pulse.

  His eyes were drawn irresistibly to it, wanting nothing more than to sink his fangs and drink her as he thrust into her body. The rapid beating of her pulse drew him and he moved closer towards her unable to stop himself. Down this road lies madness, he cursed. Just one taste, one taste and I’ll be satisfied. He yanked her against him and this time his fangs had no trouble appearing. He breathed deeply, taking her scent into his lungs, licking her skin gently to prepare her for his bite, she shivered slightly and he smiled, pleased that his bride enjoyed his attentions. His mouth was open, his fangs dripping with need before he realised what he was doing.

  “Damn it Sara,” he cursed, throwing himself away from her.

  “What Lucian? I haven’t done anything.” She placed a hand gently on his forearm.

  “You drive me crazy.” He sounded amused rather than infuriated by that fact.

  “What?”

  He moved then, pulling her against him, lowering his head and pressing a desperate kiss against her lips. She stood stunned for a moment before groaning in pleasure at the feel of his lips against hers. Reality was even better than imagination and her eyes fluttered closed to better savour the sensations he was drawing from her. She felt warm, her body hot, flushed with an intimate heat as her hands delved into his hair pulling him closer against her and preventing him from escaping should the wrongness of their actions suddenly come rushing back to him. She needn’t have worried.

  Lucian was in heaven, her body soft and pliant against him, her reactions to his kiss causing him to groan in pleasure. He ran his tongue against the seam of her lips intent on entering the cavern of her mouth. She was surprised by the move and her lips remained closed. A low rumble of frustration rose from his chest as Lucian pulled her closer, tightening his grip so that it was difficult to draw breath. She gasped and he took the opportunity to slip his moist tongue into her mouth, curling it around her own. His hands began to roam her body, running over the soft curve of her arse and cursing the layers of clothing between them. Her tongue moved against his, hesitantly at first but she quickly learned how he liked to be kissed. She moved into his mouth, her tongue moving over one of his elongated fangs. The sharp tooth nicked her skin and a drop of blood fell onto his tongue. The taste of her was better than he’d ever hoped for, rich, exotic, ambrosia.

  He forced himself to stop kissing her but continued to hold her close. A single droplet of blood wasn’t enough to bind his strength to his bride’s blood but soon he wouldn’t be content to stop at that teasing taste. Already he wanted more.

  “Sara, I can’t do this. I can’t seem to control myself around you. I don’t want you to see me feed and I can’t feed with you nearby, you drive me to distraction.” Already he was revealing more than he’d intended.

  “I’m going to guess that you feel something towards me after that kiss or am I wrong?”

  “You’re right but I can’t afford to feel what I feel Sara. The war…”

  “You have to have something for yourself Lucian, your life can’t revolve around the war forever.”

  “And I don’t intend for it to. As soon as the war is over, I can act on these feelings.”

  “And what if I’m not willing to wait that long?” she teased.

  “You will wait for me Sara.” His voice brokered no compromise.

  “Really?” she drawled.

  His lips met hers again, barely contained anger making the previously gentle kiss wild, ferocious. When he pulled away she was breathless, sucking in ragged breaths to calm herself. “Yes. You will wait for me Sara. I need to feed now. Stay here until I come back and then we’ll continue as we were before.”

  He turned from her and walked from the room, not noticing the wicked smile on Sara’s face. We’ll see about that. It was one thing to leave him alone when she’d thought he wasn’t interested in her and saw her as nothing more than a business transaction, it was another thing entirely to let him deny himself when there was nothing preventing them from being together. She’d been drawn to Lucian since the day she’d met him, not just because of Seraphina but something else, something that told her she could trust him, could place her happiness in his hands. Lucian deserved to be happy and she was willing to help him see that.

  Chapter Nine – War or Peace?

  The main hall was noisy, filled as it was with both humans and vampires both becoming increasingly inebriated. The smell of food was heavy in the air and Lucian supposed if he needed to eat, the luscious aroma would have appealed to him. People danced around him, clearly enjoying the merry music the band were playing but his thoughts were elsewhere, namely on his conspicuously absent bride. This temporary separation was her idea and it was so at odds with her usual behaviour that he’d automatically been on his guard. Even when she wasn’t by his side she was distracting him.

  This feast was for her. After the previous day, when his hunger had bordered on animalistic, he’d become acutely aware of his bride’s all too human needs. He couldn’t remember ever seeing her eat and the idea that she was going without while with him niggled away at him until he’d decided to throw this feast for her. She was small enough as it was without starving her further but strangely she hadn’t wanted to come downstairs with him. All in all she was acting very strangely. He’d initially blamed it on performance anxiety, the smithy was ready for her use and a great many people were expecting her to begin crafting, but when he’d asked her about it she had smiled, happy to back in a familiar setting. She was up to something, he could feel it.

  When he next saw her, his eyes widened, bulging out of their sockets in shock and as the music faltered, he realised he wasn�
��t the only one staring. The amount of skin she was showing was beyond indecent, it was criminal and he should lock her away permanently for putting such a strain on his heart. Though she had worn dresses since she had come to live with him, the first two times he’d seen her she’d worn breeches and the sight of her in men’s clothing had left him unaffected…no longer.

  Her breeches had been cut; the length hacked away by her sword until the material barely covered the cheeks of her arse. Sara wasn’t particularly tall, especially when compared to him but in her new attire her legs seemed to go on forever, the wealth of bare skin displayed making his pulse race with desire. Her biceps were bound tightly with leather strips though the bindings did nothing to compensate for the indecency of her shirt. Again the material had been cut, this time the sleeves suffering at her hands, her flat stomach was easily displayed in the short shirt and he cursed her actions. All around him hearts were speeding up, blood rushing through people’s bodies as they looked their fill of his bride.

  He was out of his chair and moving towards her before he even realised what he was doing. She was smiling as though she were completely unaware of the havoc her attire was causing and his scowl deepened. He stripped himself of his over coat, draping the heavy material over her shoulders, engulfing her body within it and hiding her from the lusty gazes of all those around them.

  “What do you think you’re wearing?” he hissed angrily. He’d expected her to feel shame when directly confronted but her smile only widened.

  “Wearing? I’m going to be starting to make swords tonight. I’m wearing what I always where when I craft. Well…” She looked down at her clothing, pulling at the hem of her ruined shirt nervously. “Well what I actually wear is back in my village so I had to improvise.”

  “You’re going to wear this while you make swords? Are you mad?”

  She frowned at him. “No.”