Some believed it without question and others didn’t. Andrea never did. She knew it was a lie the first time she heard it. But no matter what her real thoughts were Andrea hid them well. She hung out with other kids who believed the same thing she did: that the vampire overlords were cruel and evil and should one day be overthrown.
Unfortunately there were several obstacles to defeating vampires. One was that the overlords carefully controlled the human population. Vampires outnumbered humans by two to one and the overlords kept it that way by having annual slaughters or feasts, as the vampires called them, of those humans who were too rebellious or too old to please their vampire masters anymore. The vampire overlords also kept a strict rule of law over their citizens. No human was to be turned into a vampire without the High Council’s approval. If it was found that a vampire had turned a human and not destroyed them immediately, they were terminated by assassins like Mikel.
She shifted in the bed so she could look at him. His face was the image of the perfect predator with a heavy masculine brow, thick jaw, and full, sensuous lips. Add to that his tall, perfect body and alluring power and it was impossible to believe any woman could resist him.
He opened those cool blue eyes and studied her. “Plotting ways to kill me, my beloved?”
“What would you do if I said yes?”
He sat up in bed and rested his back against the headboard. “I’d keep a closer eye on you than I already do. Why? Are you unhappy as my lover?”
“You know the answer to that.”
“You have it better than most other humans. What right do you have to complain?”
“I complain because I am a possession, not a person. I don’t want better treatment. I don’t want you to profess your undying love for me. What I want is my freedom. Oh how I wish I’d been killed at Charlotte’s house by her wicked friends. That would have been better than being your slave in this world.”
Tightness made his jaw muscles more pronounced. “Really? Being drained by a bunch of sex-hungry strangers is better than being my lover? I find that very insulting.”
“Good. Better that than being seduced into falling in love with you only to have you cast me aside when you grow bored.”
“You speak your mind too much. Keep it up and it will get you killed.”
“Who will kill me, you? Why hesitate, why wait? I’m a plaything, aren’t I? You’ve taken your pleasure. Why bother keeping me around?”
“I keep you around because there’s something in your rebellious nature that I find…exciting.”
You feel that way even though I told you that I hate you?”
He laughed. “You don’t hate me.”
“You’re wrong, Mikel. I do. I hate you and all you represent as my people’s captors. I don’t want to live like this. Kill me please.”
Mikel got up from the bed abruptly and pulled on his pants. “That’s enough of this. I forbid you to talk like that anymore.”
“What are you going to do to me if I don’t obey? Are you going to beat me or tie me up in a room somewhere?”
“Andrea, that’s enough. What do you want from me? Do you honestly want me to kill you? Well, no I’m not going to do that. You’re just going to have to soldier on like everyone else.”
“You won’t put an end to my suffering because you’re selfish. All you and the others care about is your constant carnal pleasure. Forget what it does to the people you hold captive and breed for your fun and nourishment.”
“I’m not going to have this moral debate with you. The world is as it is.”
“And that’s alright with you, isn’t it? You’re on the top of the food chain so it doesn’t matter what suffering happens as long as you get what you want.”
He moved dangerously close to the bed, his body humming with angry energy. “I’ve had enough of your insolence. If you don’t shut up, I will kill you.”
Andrea lay back on the mattress. “What’s stopping you? I told you it’s what I want. Do it.”
Mikel climbed up on the bed and straddled her hips. His eyes seemed to glow with anger. He placed his hands around her neck and bared his teeth. “Why are you doing this to me?”
Andrea placed her hands over his and applied pressure. “I already told you why. Come on, Mikel. You can do it.” His weight felt good over her body and a spark of arousal made her curse her biology. She wanted so much from him that she could barely keep her head straight. She wanted him to be unable to kill her but secretly hoped he’d end her suffering. She stared up into his eyes. “Do it,” she said through her teeth.
“I’ve got a better idea,” he said, pulling her up by the neck. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “Why don’t we teach you some obedience instead?”
“It won’t work and you’ll be forced to kill me anyway.”
“I can be very persuasive.”
“And I can be very stubborn.”
“We’ll just see about that.”
* * * *
Andrea had never imagined a kiss could mean the destruction of her will but it was. She hated the way Mikel could strip away her resolve and reduce her to a puddle of mush with some gentle words and soft caresses. Her weakness would have been unbearable if she hadn’t known about the tremendous power vampires had over humans. The witchcraft in their being was like heroin to their victims and they knew how to manipulate. When Mikel kissed her, there was a whole flood of erotic pheromones behind it. Andrea’s body came alive, bursting with hunger and the unbearable desire to be touched and filled by her vampire lover.
Mikel ran his fingers through her hair and cradled her head as he showered kisses on her cheeks, nose, and forehead. She could feel the power coursing through him as it enveloped her. He pulled back and stared into her eyes.
“Now tell me you’d rather be dead than in my arms.”
She smiled but it was sad and dragged down the corners of her mouth as soon as it emerged. “You are only the loaded gun in my mouth and I love that you can destroy me and take away the pain.”
He grabbed a handful of her hair and bared his dangerous teeth. “I hate it when you say those things to me.”
“What would you like me to say, Master? Would you like me to beg you to fuck me? Then by all means, please, please fuck me and make me forget all the misery this life has to offer. Is that more to your liking?”
His mouth covered hers in a fierce, devouring kiss. Her mind leaped with joy, a joy so consuming and fulfilling that she began to question her resistance. That’s what he wants, he wants me to give up and give in. But I can’t do that. I’m not a pet and I’m not a slave and I won’t be treated like one. I want my freedom!
“Lie to me and tell me that you love me,” he whispered in her ear.
His voice had taken on a lost, tortured quality that struck her like a blow to the chest.
Andrea made a point of picking a place beyond him to cast her gaze. “I love you.”
Mikel crushed her body against him and buried his face in her neck. Her whole being shook with her longing for him. It took all she had just to resist running her hands along his thick, muscled chest. She noticed something moist against the flesh of her throat. At first she thought he’d bitten her but then she realized they were his blood tears. It was a noiseless sorrow but very real.
She pushed him back, angry at what she believed to be yet another vampire attempt to manipulate her emotions. “What is this, some new trick?”
His eyes locked on hers and there was genuine agony in his gaze. Instead of speaking he moved his body over hers, tenderly peeling away her clothes. Andrea fought the urge to question him further. He’d do whatever he needed to get her to do as he wanted. Right now his main concern was sex. But a nagging question emerged: why didn’t he just seduce her like all the other vampires? Why did he feel the need to toy with her emotions this way?
Mikel tenderly spread her labia and touched the sweet center of her sex. A jolt of uncompromising pleasure surged up from the point of contact.
Its power intoxicated and awakened her. She arched her back and gasped. He stroked her with a light touch, almost too light to feel but she registered every tickle. She sucked in a few deep breaths and rocked her hips from side to side. “That’s wonderful.”
In reply his hot mouth covered her right breast. His tongue worked in a circular motion as it teased and massaged her tight nipple. Mikel explored her body slowly and with great care, like a man turning on the lights of his house after a long absence. He aroused her with precise teases all the while mumbling sweet words to encourage her arousal. Finally, despite her resistance, she succumbed to his seduction and opened her legs to invite him in.
He worked his rock-hard cock into her flesh and once inside, paused to enjoy their union. Andrea adored the feel of him inside her. It excited parts of her she never knew could feel this alive. Mikel rotated his hips in a circular motion and a bolt of ecstasy rushed up her spine.
“Oh!” Andrea gasped as she let her hands explore the strong expanse of his back.
He nuzzled her behind the ear and sent a new pleasant sensation all through her. Andrea giggled despite her dark feelings. Then her mood turned more serious. “I appreciate all that you’ve done for me, Mikel, but someday another vampire is going to end up destroying me if you don’t do it first.”
“No,” he said in a harsh whisper.
“I refuse to be silenced and you can’t be around me all the time.”
“That’s exactly why you can’t go around talking against the High Council and the way things are run. Someone is bound to hear you, if they haven’t already. I don’t care what you say when you’re alone with me, but please watch how loudly you say it.”
She rested her cheek against his. “I’m sorry, Mikel. I just can’t do that. What’s happening is wrong.”
He pumped his hips inside her. The pleasure exploded as her body performed for him like he owned it and she was only a temporary resident. Even as she orgasmed she resented him.
Mikel climaxed and rolled over next to her. His handsome face looked drawn and haunted. She wanted to feel guilty for ruining the sex but couldn’t muster it.
“Would you be sad if I died?” she asked.
“Stop it, Andrea.”
“Would you?”
“Of course I would.”
He was so angry she had to laugh. It was nice to feel like she had the upper hand once in a while. “So touchy. Maybe you’re falling in love with me.”
He rolled and turned his back to her. “I’m not falling in love, I already am.”
“Don’t say that.”
“It’s true.”
Andrea closed her eyes and scoffed. “Words are cheap, Mikel. If you really love me, prove it. Take my life, I’m begging you.”
She waited for a response but there was none. He didn’t sleep and neither did she. After an hour, he left the house to go hunt and Andrea just laid in the darkness and waited for sleep to claim her.
Chapter 11
Andrea had been with Mikel for a week. She had little to complain about, she was safe, cared for and protected but she was also agonizingly bored. The vampire had given her strict instructions not to go out and so she was stuck here frustrated and losing her mind. She had to convince him to let her go out and do what she was trained to do in the Red League. At least that would give her some sense of purpose. She heard him returning to the apartment and rushed over.
He placed his keys on a table near the entryway and smiled at her as she approached him. He wouldn’t be smiling for long, she mused.
“How long am I going to have to be a prisoner here?” she asked.
The smile from Mikel’s face melted into a deep frown. “You’re not a prisoner. I told you why I want you to stay indoors. Things are still too hot and complicated between Charlotte and me. I just want to give her time to forget you.”
He strolled into the living room stiffly like he was expecting her to jump on him at any moment. Boy, she sure wanted to, but not out of passion.
She followed, not willing to let him off the hook. “How much longer is it going to be before things calm down?”
“I don’t know, another week, maybe two.”
“I can’t take being cooped up here another week. You have to let me go out and do what I was trained to do.”
“Oh no, not by yourself. No way.”
“Why the hell not?”
His blue eyes locked onto hers sending a chill through her. But no matter how much he tried to intimidate her, she had to hold her ground or her life would be miserable.
“Because I said so and you’d better adopt a more respectful tone when addressing me.”
“And if I don’t? What are you going to do then, kill me? Well, I have news for you, mister, you can go ahead. Death would be preferable to being your captive pet!”
Mikel stood up and balled his fists at his sides. “Andrea, you need to keep your voice down. If someone else in this building hears the way you’re speaking they can turn you in to the authorities and there won’t be much I can do to help you.”
“That’s bullshit, Mikel. I don’t care. I’ll tell anyone who will listen that what vampires are doing to humans is inhumane and wrong.The vampires should all be destroyed for what they’ve done to my people.”
He rushed forward and grabbed her arm. He looked genuinely spooked. She glared at his offending hand. “Andrea, stop it, I mean it.”
“Then allow me to go out during the day.”
“No.”
“This is about control, isn’t it? You’re trying to control me just like you do all your other women. I won’t be controlled by you or anyone else. I have a right to live a life with meaning. I want to work at the nearest Red League clinic.”
His eyes softened. “I can’t allow that right now. You’re right, okay? I agree with you. You have a right to have some fulfillment in your life. But this isn’t about denying you anything. This is about your safety. A lot of vampires know about you. They know who you are and how annoyingly outspoken you are and a good number of them have no qualms about shutting you up. Just give it a little more time and they’ll forget all about you. Then you can go out without a target on your back.”
She let out a scoffing laugh. “Why do you care so much about what happens to me? You’ve had me a few times over now. Get over protecting me. I don’t want or need it.”
“I care about you because I’ve fallen in love with you, Andrea.”
Was there no depths to which this manipulative vampire wouldn’t go? She hated him for trying to control her this way. It was mean and cruel. “You have no idea what love is.”
He tried to pull her into his arms but she pushed away.
“You’re wrong. Why do you think I went against everyone to go and rescue you? Surely that must have impressed you a little.”
“You’re just toying with me to amuse yourself. You and your kind are sick and twisted bastards who get off on using humans any way they can.”
“Okay, all right. Maybe there is some truth to that. But what I told you about my feelings isn’t a game. You’re far too much of a dangerous pain in the ass for me to go out on a limb protecting you if I didn’t care.”
“Oh yeah? Then if you’re so noble and loving why not just let me go?”
“What do you mean? Just let you walk out to whatever fate has planned? And what would that accomplish? Where would you go? I’ll tell you what would happen. You’d end up on the streets and get taken by another vampire bastard who wouldn’t hesitate to use you in any way he saw fit. Then where the hell would you be?”
Andrea chewed her bottom lip. She wanted to say she’d sneak off and find the rumored human resistance but she didn’t dare. Then he might make sure she could never escape and that would be a disaster. “If that happened I’d kill myself.”
“That is if this new vampire didn’t turn you and keep you as an immortal slave.”
He went to her and she let him hug her. It angered her that she was comforted
by his warm kindness.
“I know you’re dying to get out of here. Just another week or two, okay?”
“I guess I don’t have a choice in the matter, do I?”
“No, you don’t.”
She crossed her fingers behind his back. “Okay then. I’ll wait.”
Chapter 12
The night came quickly but Mikel was holding off on going out. Andrea tried to pretend she didn’t care but it was driving her crazy. He must have sensed her determination to go out tonight because he kept trying to engage her in meaningless conversation. She did her best to be relaxed and pleasant so he wouldn’t know how desperate she was to get out of here. Finally her plan worked. After eleven he gave up on babysitting her. He gave her one last warning not to go out and left.
Andrea had never been happier to see someone leave. She waited about half an hour then went out too.
The air was cool and crisp with a faint hint of coffee in the air from the pastry shop nearby. Because she didn’t own anything and had no money of her own, she took money from a wad of cash in his dresser. She felt really bad about doing that but if she’d asked him he would have known she was up to something.
She quickened her steps. How wonderful it felt to be out of that sterile apartment! She wanted to run, jump and scream her happiness. She reached a busy road with several nightclub and shops. Not surprisingly in a vampire world they all had signs boasting they were open twenty-four hours. Andrea went into one that specialized in books and novelty gifts. She browsed the aisles happier than she’d been in a long while. A saleswoman came over and smiled. To Andrea’s relief she was human too.
“Out with your master, ma’am?” the woman asked.
“No, he sent me to register at the nearest Red League clinic. Do you know where the closest one might be?”
The woman had dyed red hair that didn’t flatter her reddish-pink cheeks. She gave Andrea a strange look then seemed to shrug off her suspicion. “There’s a clinic just down the road at Crown Point but I think they’ll require your master to be with you.”
ANDREA'S OVERLORD Page 5